Illegal activity: 13 stuffed animals seized in Saddar

Wildlife Department raids shop involved in illegal trade of stuffed animals.

KARACHI: Sindh Wildlife Department raided a shop involved in the illegal trade of stuffed animals on Saturday and confiscated 13 animals.

According to officials, a team of the wildlife department led by Nazar Hussain, Game Inspector, was tipped off that a shop in Saddar by the name of Junaid Hakeem situated near Bohri Jamat Khana had illegally-smuggled stuffed animals in possession.

They carried out a surprise check on the shop and seized stuffed animals of rare species, which included one Blackbuck, three Chinkaras, one calf of Chinkara, a hog deer, a porcupine, a wild cat, a peacock, two wild sheep and two eagles.

A case has been registered against the shopkeeper, Naveed, under sections 10, 17 and 13 of the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Fahmida Firdous, acting conservator of Sindh Wildlife Department, said that keeping these kinds of stuffed animals at a shop is illegal. She said that the shopkeeper held no permission or license issued by the wildlife department.

Besides, she added, the department never gives shopkeepers permission to keep such stuffed animals. “We only give special permission for research purposes and to museums and educational institutes,” she said.

She said that during the investigation, the shopkeeper told them that he had gotten the animals from Punjab.

The shopkeeper, who also happens to be a hakim, said that he had just displayed the stuffed animals in his shop to attract customers so that they come inside his shop, where he sells different herbal concoctions and oils to treat diseases, Dr Firdous told The Express Tribune.

She said that these fake healers fool people by telling them that they have oils made out of Blackbuck or hog deer fat and then manage to sell the potions to them.

She said that the wildlife department is trying to protect endangered animals, which include hog deer and Blackbuck.  “But some people kill these animals and sell them in the black markets, where these kinds of shopkeepers use them for this [selling herbal potions].”

She said that under the Sindh Wildlife Ordinance, any shopkeeper found involved in the illegal trade of stuffed animals has to pay around Rs50, 000 in compensation or otherwise the case will be referred to the courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2011.