Pakistan

Wildlife dept to take to task guard who killed pangolin

Security guard shot the mammal five times 'in defence'

Our Correspondent January 26, 2016

Pangolins are threatened with extinction, and are the most trafficked animal in the world. PHOTO: COURTESY QADIR LASHARI

KARACHI: Hours after a security guard shot a pangolin five times in Zamzama on Sunday, the animal succumbed to its injuries while being treated at a private veterinary clinic.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of the rescued pangolin in Karachi. He could not make it through the night [on Sunday] due to severe internal injuries from the five bullets so ruthlessly pumped into its body,” announced animal welfare group Paws in a statement on Monday.

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“The guard claimed the pangolin was attacking him, so he fired three bullets into its abdomen, and two into its front legs,” Paws stated on its Facebook page. The male Indian Pangolin weighed 22kg with a length of 3.5 to four feet.

Paws, a non-profit organisation that coordinates help for animals in need through Facebook and Twitter by putting people in touch with each other, requested veterinarian Dr Ali Ayaz to help the animal after viewing a Facebook post by Nuvera Nasir Sheikh appealing for people to rescue the pangolin which was in a critical condition.

“We saw the post in the early hours on [Monday] morning and requested Dr Ali Ayaz to help. He arrived in Zamzama on his motorcycle, along with his assistant,” the post said.

Sindh wildlife conservator Saeed Akhter Balouch said the animal was being treated by the vet in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The Sindh wildlife department has decided to preserve the dead pangolin. Authorities have also said they are initiating proceedings against the security guard who shot the animal.

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Balouch told The Express Tribune that investigations have been initiated against the guard who brutally shot the pangolin. “The guard has not been arrested but we have started investigation,” Balouch said, adding that “We are also investigating where the animal came from.”

According to him, the pangolin would be preserved in the turtle laboratory lab at Hawke’s Bay. Pangolins are nocturnal mammals native to South Asia. They are the most trafficked animal in the world and all eight species are threatened with extinction.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (7)

Munib | 8 years ago | Reply What I want to know is, where did the animal come from Was it a pet that escaped? I seriously doubt that it was wild. Take the pet owners to task for having an endangered species as a pet; not the guard, he was just scared. I have to admit this is the first time I've even heard that scaly anteaters are found in Pakistan. Our PakStudies syllabus leaves a lot to be desired.

yaldram | 8 years ago | Reply i agree with you all the guard did not know the nature of animal but there is a general principle that every human with a gun knows.. you shoot once and you know you have hit then you retreat to a safe distance or move away.. you only empty your magazine when u personally hate something, or you want to absolutely make sure it's dead.. this is applied on humans and animals both.. if u hate a human u will empty your magazine on him, if you wanna make sure he is dead you fire more than one bullet if you just want a human to run away u fire a warning shot or u shoot him once.. every guard knows this so he could have applied the same theory on animals.. so this is where he was wrong. He shot he should have retreated or moved away from the path.. guards who panic are a threat this can result in friendly fire we cant have trigger happy guards roaming around. shows the guards incompetency. it was not a horror movie with a wall behind the guard and man eating pangolin approaching.