Wildlife of Pakistan

[IrbiS]

What are the laws in Pakistan about owing a falcon or eagle?

Don't know but should be illegal without proper procession and good chunk of money

 

[A1Kaid]

Don't know but should be illegal without proper procession and good chunk of money

I've owned birds before but never a falcon though I would like to.

 

[IrbiS]

I'll try to find if you can. But there's a license required even for a Black Francolin / Teetar, so Falcon should be more difficult. btw good thing deleted that troll post

 

[IrbiS]

HAWKS OF PAKISTAN


Northern GosHawk (Accipiter gentilis)

Eurasian SparrowHawk (Accipiter nisus)

Shikra ( Hunter ) / Little Banded GosHawk (Accipiter badius)

Besra (Accipiter virgatus)

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[ghazi52]

Major Wildlife conservation Challenges in Pakistan –Last part

by Naveed A Bari

Major Wildlife conservation challenges in Pakistan –Last part

Lot of credible work has been done in the conservation of dwindling Snow Leopard population, which mostly inhabits the difficult and rugged terrains of Khunjerab National Park and the Baltistan area, close to the Chinese border. Initiatives were taken to
train the local guides and scouts, the insurance of the livestock of the local people, in the conservation of the main prey of the snow leopard i.e. the Ibex, Markhor, Urial and blue sheep etc, and intensive surveying and documentation of the cats and their
respective territories.


The government has also enacted strict laws on illegal hunting and trade of its bones and hides, mostly sold for Chinese traditional medicine making. The Himalayan Brown bear, found strictly in Deosai national park, is now considered out of the danger zone
and its population is said to be stable for the moment, owning particularly to the laws pertaining to its hunting and poaching. The Asiatic Black bear's population, however, has experienced a sharp decline as it is often hunted for its bile which is used in
traditional medicine making, and is also captured alive for the game of bear baiting practiced in the urban and suburban areas of Pakistan. It is now rarely spotted in the Kashmir area and many conservation organizations have pressurized the government to
enforce strict laws in this regard and ensure severe fine and punishments to the offenders.


The conservation of Markhor, found in Western Balochistan, the Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw and the northern areas of Pakistan, has been one of the success stories in the conservation history of the country. In the year 1985, its population in the Torghar area of
Baluchistan dropped to less than 100. It is extensively hunted for its prized head as its horns can be as long as up to 36 in. A licensed hunting program was developed to generate revenue as well as to check illegal hunting. Pakistan is the only country with
CITES hunting authorization for Markhor with a quota of 12 trophies each year. Torghar conservation program has helped increase the Markhor population to more than 1648. Torghar is now considered as the last stronghold of the internationally threatened straight-horned
Markhor.


The Indus Dolphin has also been the victim of the increasing population and man's interference in nature. It has a poorly developed retina therefore also often called as the Blind dolphin. Its population sharply decreased after the Indus water Treaty between
India and Pakistan which enabled Pakistan to build dams and barrages and draw canals to irrigate its thousands of acres of barren land. The dolphin's habitat now stretches to just 1200kms and is often found entangled in fishing nets and trapped in canals.
WWF has carried out several training courses among the locals to help them better understand the importance and methods of its conservation.


Among other notable conservation projects are those of the marine turtles ( Green and leatherback) found off the coast of Makran district, the Houbara Bustard, golden eagle, the Siberian crane migratory birds form the steppes of Russia and Siberia.

 

[IrbiS]

HARRIERS OF PAKISTAN

Western / Eurasian Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

Hen / Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Pale / Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)

 

[IrbiS]

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)

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[ghazi52]

KP govt fines Qatari prince Rs80,000 for illegal falcon hunting

KP government is making all efforts to protect the rare species in Pakistan, said Imran Khan.-Reuters/File

PESHAWAR: In an unprecedented move, the environment ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday fined a Qatari prince Rs80,000 after he was caught with three falcons in Dera Ismail Khan.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, whose party is currently ruling the province, tweeted on his official Twitter account:
Taking a jibe at the federal government, Imran said that the KP government is making all efforts to protect the rare species in Pakistan but the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had given licences and permits for hunting of the birds — that too against the law.
The PTI chief said this was the difference between the ‘naya’ and old Pakistan.

Gulf Arab royals taking over large swathes of territory in Pakistan to hunt the vulnerable species is not something new. Even the federal government issues special permits to members of royal families of the Gulf states to allow them to hunt the protected species, including houbara bustard.

Meanwhile, government for the first time has informed the permit holders that Pakistan will “observe a moratorium on hunting during the 2014-15 season to replenish houbara bustard stocks”, but conservationists keeping in view the power and influence of petrodollars are sceptical.

During the hunting season, royal families from Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia come to Balochistan's Dalbandin, Chaghi and other areas for the purpose of hunting.

The royal family have cemented good ties with influential people in the areas for hunting houbara and other birds.

 

[IrbiS]

 

[IrbiS]

Endangered species: Leopard dies of poisoning in Abbottabad
By Muhammad Sadaqat
Published: March 20, 2015

The leopard was a 10-year-old male and belonged to a common species found in Galiyat and Tarnawai forest areas. PHOTO: ONLINE

ABBOTABAD:
The autopsy of a leopard which was found dead on Wednesday has revealed that the feline was poisoned, said Dr Muhammad Zafran Turk who is in charge of Government Veterinary Hospital Abbottabad on Thursday.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Turk said the leopard was brought to the hospital on Wednesday for a post-mortem and had no injuries on its body. “The leopard was a 10-year-old male and belonged to a common species found in Galiyat and Tarnawai forest areas.”

Animal cruelty

According to Dr Turk, the type of poison which was used to kill the animal would be determined by a forensics laboratory.

“The leopard was presumably the oldest in the area because two of its teeth were missing,” said Dr Turk, adding this suggests he was unable to catch and kill its prey so it was relying on easily-obtainable food and ended up eating poisoned meat.

“It would have certainly moved down from snow-covered Tarnawai or Galiyat forest ranges to populated areas in search of food and became the victim of some villagers who might have already planned to kill it,” the vet speculated.

He added that in the autopsy they found a piece of poisoned goat meat from the leopard’s stomach. “Someone might have deliberately poisoned it fearing it would attack people or cattle. Or they wanted to sell its hide,” said Dr Turk.

Although the type of poison cannot be confirmed, its severity can be gauged from the clots found in the leopard’s mouth, he added. Materials found during the post-mortem have been handed over to wildlife officials to send to Lahore for forensic testing.

In reply to a question, Dr Turk said since leopards are regarded ‘near threatened’ endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the wildlife department should take concrete steps to protect them.

The leopard’s body was seized by wildlife officials in Chatiyan in Qalandarabad on March 17 when unidentified people were carrying it in a sack, attempting to move it to an unknown location. Upon being discovered, they left the body and escaped.

The wildlife department has lodged a complaint against unidentified people for killing the animal.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2015.

 

[IrbiS]

Wildlife conservation: 50 black bucks, 250 chinkaras released at wildlife park
By Our Correspondent
Published: March 20, 2015

PHOTO: NATIVEPAKISTAN.COM

BAHAWALPUR: Fifty black bucks, 250 chinkara deer and 600 partridges were released on Wednesday in the Laal Sohanra National Park by the Punjab government and the Houbara Foundation International.

A ceremony was held at Laal Sohanra Research Centre in this regard. Abu Dhabi government’s representative Sheikh Majeed al Mansoori freed the deer and partridges.

He said that Abu Dhabi and the Pakistani governments were making efforts for the breeding Chinkara deer and partridges in Cholistan. “The research centre has been established for the protection of animals. It is a symbol of the strong relationship between the two countries,” he said.

“The wildlife protection programme was started by Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan in 1973. Under the project, 40,000 partridges have been freed so far,” he said.

Provincial Cooperatives Minister Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar said that the government had started several wildlife conservation projects in cooperation with the Houbara Foundation International.

“A safari park has been built near Laal Sohanra National Park to promote tourism. New steel cages have been installed at the research centre as well,” he said.

Minister for Forests Malik Asif said long-term steps were being taken to promote wildlife tourism in Cholistan. “The atmosphere in Cholistan is appropriate for partridges and chinkara deer,” he said.

Forests Secretary Captain (retd) Jahanzeb Khan said that the government had hired 10 forest security guards and two drivers for the Research Centre. He said that the Houbara Foundation would take control of the administration of the centre in coming months.

The officials were informed that GPS transmitters had been installed on 30 partridges for research purposes.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2015.

Clipped wings: Eight cranes saved from being smuggled
By Sameer Mandhro / Photo: Mir Akhtar Talpur
Published: March 20, 2015

Wildlife officials saved eight cranes from being smuggled last week. Four of these protected birds are very sick as all eight were crammed into small boxes while being transported. PHOTO: COURTESY MIR AKHTAR TALPUR

KARACHI: Officials of the Sindh wildlife department rescued eight cranes that were being smuggled last week.

Four of these rescued birds have been badly injured and might not be able to go back to the areas they came from. According to a wildlife official, the birds were kept in boxes and are very sick. “The smuggler escaped as he saw the team in the area,” he said.

“The birds were forcefully crammed into very small boxes and it almost paralysed their legs,” said the provincial conservator of the department, Javed Ahmed Maher. “We are trying our best to help them fly again.”

The sick birds were taken to Karachi Zoo on Thursday and have been shifted to the facility again after initial treatment. “They might fly,” hoped an official requesting anonymity. “They are unable to stand and are in pain.”

According to officials, most of these migratory birds are caught from parts of Balochistan that border Afghanistan. However, their market exists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and smugglers use Sindh as the route due to transportation issues. They are fined whenever they are caught in Sindh.

These birds have been kept in a private facility near Northern Bypass with 37 other cranes which were rescued from the National Highway in October.

Since the capture of these birds, the wildlife department has been in contact with international organisations to learn about feeding and housing these birds during rehabilitation. Pakistan is among the signatories of the Convention on Migratory Species. “We are committed to taking measures for migratory birds,” said Maher.

Unfortunately, despite tall claims of the wildlife department for the preservation of birds and animals, the province still lacks a rehabilitation centre for such birds and animals. They are kept in makeshift arrangements or in private facilities for a temporary period as they cannot be housed anywhere for a long period of time.

The migratory birds are caught when they enter into Pakistan’s soil or when they are flying back to their destination. According to sources, hundreds of such birds are being smuggled but the government only rescues a few of them.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2015.

 

[IrbiS]

Hunted with impunity: Survival becomes a challenge for cranes as they return home
By Zulfiqar Ali
Published: March 22, 2015

“At least 2,000 to 3,000 birds are captured or killed by hunters in December and March.”

WANA:
Gone are the days when Siberian migratory birds would herald the arrival of spring. Over the years, survival has become a challenge for cranes and they are seldom seen flying through Wana Valley on their way out of the subcontinent in March.

Since 1968, the number of cranes migrating to the region has dwindled with time as little has been done to preserve their natural habitat and protect them from poachers.

More often than not, residents of Wana are overwhelmed by nostalgia and frequently reminisce about the good old days when both children and adults would be fascinated by the cranes. They have taken their preoccupation with the bird a notch higher. In order to preserve this fragment of the past, residents make it a point to sing a famous Pashto tappa–inspired from the migratory patterns of cranes–at wedding ceremonies across South Waziristan:

However, no matter how hard the locals try, they cannot stop hunters who flock to the region during the crane season and continue to hunt the birds with reckless abandon.

Hunting season

A large number of hunting camps are seen along the banks of the Zhob River near Zar Milan in Toi Khulla tehsil. Every night, crane hunters wait silently in their camps to capture the birds. Once the cranes have been captured, they are confined in cages.

“They use a 30 metre rope tied with an iron weight to capture the birds,” says Ehsanullah Wazir, head of Waziristan Nature Conservation Organization.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, he drew attention to the cruel manner in which birds are captured, sold or killed. “At least 2,000 to 3,000 birds are captured or killed by hunters in December and March,” he adds.

Fortunately, Wazir is not the only one who is concerned. A local jirga has repeatedly urged the government to adopt a firm stance against illegal hunting.

In February 2013, jirga leaders distributed pamphlets and pressed the government to stop crane hunters. However, such initiatives have been prompted by the instinct of self-preservation rather than the need to protect the migratory birds from the threat of extinction. Wana attracts hunters from all over the world. Under the Frontier Crimes Regulation, local tribes are held responsible if hunters are kidnapped for ransom. As a result, the safety of cranes has been brushed under the carpet.

No reprieve

Residents of South Waziristan were once strongly opposed to hunting the migratory bird. Be it mere superstition or a disguised fear for the bird’s wellbeing, they believed misfortune would befall the entire region if the cranes were harmed in any way. However, with the changing times, this myth has steadily lost ground. People who once protected the bird have been lured into selling and killing them with the promise of hefty profits.

“Hunters do not kill the birds,” Atlas Khan, a crane hunter, told The Express Tribune. “We simply cut their wings off. They eventually grow back.” According to Khan, a large number of cranes who escape tend to return back to their captors.

Last year, the government released Rs2.5 million to protect wildlife. However, it has done little more than putting up signboards to discourage people from hunting in South Waziristan. With hunters reluctant to bid farewell to arms, fears of the migratory birds’ survival will continue to loom large.

(WRITING BY IFTIKHAR FIRDOUS)

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2015.

 

[IrbiS]

Saving the VIPs - vultures in Pakistan
By Syed Muhammad Abubakar
Published: March 22, 2015
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A long-billed vulture. PHOTO CREDIT: ZAHOOR SALMI

Between 2000 and 2001, the towns of Taunsa and Toawala and the Changa Manga forest in Punjab were home to large colonies of vultures. An estimated 758 pairs of white-backed vultures flocked to Changa Manga, one of the world’s largest manmade forests. A study conducted by the Peregrine Fund and Ornithological Society of Pakistan found that an estimated 421 pairs lived in Taunsa and 445 in Toawala. Twelve years later, not a single vulture can be found in these areas. However, the World Wildlife Fund in Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) is working towards repopulating the skies of places such as Changa Manga by combating the biggest threat to this species: a drug called Diclofenac Sodium.

VIPs: Vultures in Pakistan

Vultures, known locally as ‘gidh’, are said to be ‘nature’s recyclers’. Their resistance to bacterial and viral diseases means they are able to feast on dead animals, thereby renewing and cleansing the ecosystem. The white-backed vulture species, commonly found in Pakistan, India and Nepal, has declined by more than 99% since the 1990s. Thus, vultures have been mandated ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international organisation working towards conservation of such species.

Captive breeding centre for white-backed vultures. PHOTO CREDIT: FAISAL FARID

The world is home to more than 20 species of vultures, with Australia and Antarctica the only continents where these birds do not exist. Pakistan is home to eight species of vultures: the Lammergeyer or bearded vulture, the Egyptian or scavenger vulture, the oriental white-backed vulture, the long-billed vulture, the Eurasian griffon, the Himalayan griffon, the Eurasian black vulture or Cinereous vulture and the king vulture.

For a bird that is traditionally believed to be aggressive or dangerous, many ask, ‘Why save the vultures?’ Experts from the Indian Save Asia’s Vultures from Extinction programme estimate that in the 1990s, there were as many as 40 million vultures in India, consuming roughly 12 million tonnes of carrion annually. With a sharp drop in the number of vultures, this disposal system for dead animals has all but disappeared, thus raising health and environmental concerns.

In many cases, dead animals are being sold to the poultry industry so they can be used as chicken feed. Oil is extracted from the intestines of the dead animals and calcium from their bones. With such practices, the risk of human diseases from consumption of such poultry significantly increases, says ZB Mirza, author of A field guide to Birds of Pakistan and visiting professor of biodiversity at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and Kinnaird College for Women in Lahore.

The hunter becomes hunted

In September 2006, WWF-Pakistan successfully lobbied the government to ban the drug Diclofenac Sodium. The drug is used as a painkiller or to reduce swelling in injured or diseased animals and in 2004, experts found that vultures feeding on cattle treated with Diclofenac died from acute kidney failure within days or were unable to reproduce. The demise of the white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) and the slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) was directly linked with the use of the drug by veterinarians and farmers.

An anti-inflammatory veterinary drug, Diclofenac Sodium. PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

Even as the production and use of the painkiller injection was banned in 2006, the drug is reportedly smuggled into Pakistan from China and vets continue to use it. As Diclofenac is also found in pain-relieving drugs for humans, many vets or farmers simply administer this version to sick animals.

Experts have suggested the use of an alternate drug Meloxicam, which is being promoted among farming communities and vets, as it is not harmful for vultures. Sensitisation seminars and workshops are also routinely held to educate communities about the damaging effects of Diclofenac.

Safe zones

In 2005, WWF-Pakistan released 21 white-backed vultures in a large aviary in the Changa Manga forest and fed the birds a steady diet of donkeys and goats reared on the project’s site. The programme, the Gyps Vulture Restoration Project, intends to replenish the vulture population and once the environment is deemed to be free of Diclofenac, these vultures will be freed. The birds have identification chips embedded in their skin to enable identification.

As of 2014, WWF-Pakistan says 14 white-backed vultures live in the Changa Manga restoration centre, which enables captive breeding and the maintenance of vulture population in the area. Sustaining conservation is tough work, WWF-Pakistan says, keeping in mind funding and the fact that this species of bird lays only one egg in a year.

Between 2011 and 2013, WWF-Pakistan found 15 active nests of vultures in Nagarparkar, in Tharparkar, Sindh. In order to conserve the white-backed vultures here, the group set up a protected zone, the Vulture Safe Zone, over 100kms. Free livestock vaccinations and de-worming is offered here in order to prevent the use of Diclofenac while information on better animal husbandry practices is provided to the local farming community.

Syed Muhammad Abubakar is a freelance journalist and tweets @SyedMAbubakar

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, March 22nd, 2015.

 

[IrbiS]

Saving snow leopards: Mushahidullah elected international steering committee chair
By Our Correspondent
Published: March 23, 2015

Khan told the participants from 12 countries at the meeting that there were 100-200 snow leopards in Pakistan.


ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan has been elected chairman of international steering committee of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme.

He was elected at the first two-day meeting of GSLEP steering committee in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Addressing the meeting, the minister assured the participants that Pakistan would join global efforts for protection and conservation of the endangered snow leopard, whose population has declined rapidly in the country because of illegal hunting.

Khan told the participants from 12 countries at the meeting that there were 100-200 snow leopards in Pakistan. He said major challenges to their population world-over were poaching, hunting and climate change.

“Snow leopards are in trouble. We can help them by controlling their illegal hunting,” the minister urged.

He hoped that joint efforts to be pledged at the GSEP meeting in Bishkek will help protect snow leopards from extinction and yield a range of positive results, such as preserving biodiversity.

The minister said that a big part of the GSLEP strategy will be focused on educating rural mountain and herder communities about the need to protect snow leopards, engaging them in conservation efforts, and helping them have sustainable livelihoods. There are 4,000 – 6,500 snow leopards in the world, mostly in South and Central Asian countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2015.

 

[IrbiS]

Owner delighted as lioness gives birth to five cubs in Multan
By Web Desk
Published: March 27, 2015

African lioness named Rani, or Queen, sits with her newly born five cubs at the house of her owner who has grown her as a pet, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Multan, Pakistan. The African lioness has given birth to five healthy cubs. Lions normally have litters of two or three cubs. PHOTO: AP


The African lioness kept as a pet in Multan has given birth to five cubs.

The owner of the lioness Malik Fazal Abbas, who is by profession a cotton and mango farmer, seems very delighted as it is really rare for lioness to give birth to five cubs at a time. Lions usually give birth to a litter of two to three cubs at a time.

Raja sits in his owners house in Multan. PHOTO: AP

Lioness, which goes by the name of ‘Rani’ mated with a male lion ‘Raja’ that Abbas also keeps in his home.

Care taker comforts the cubs of the African lioness. PHOTO: AP

Abbas has been granted a license by the Pakistani Wildlife Department to keep lions as pets like many other people in the country.

This article originally appeared in the Dailymail.