Pangolin shot by security guard in Karachi passes away

The animal could not make it through the Sunday night due to severe bullet wounds, says animal welfare body PAWS

KARACHI: Hours after a security guard shot a pangolin five times in Karachi 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 due to severe internal injuries from the five bullets so ruthlessly pumped into his body," announced animal welfare group PAWS in a statement on Monday.

Karachi #pangolin passes away https://t.co/gPHshI48wA #wildlifecrime pic.twitter.com/XwWuxOA8QB

— Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) (@pawspakistan) January 25, 2016

The male Indian Pangolin, weighed 22kg and was 3.5 to 4 feet long.

“The guard claimed the pangolin was attacking him, and so he fired three bullets into its abdomen, and two bullets into its front legs” PAWS had written on its Facebook page.

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PAWS, a non-profit company which coordinates help for animals in need through Facebook and Twitter by putting people in touch with each other, requested a 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 critical situation.



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

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/nuveraimen/posts/10208438316024950?pnref=story"]

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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.

Meanwhile, the Sindh wildlife department has decided to preserve the pangolin, and have initiated proceedings against the security guard who shot the animal, Conservator Wildlife Sindh Saeed Akhter Balouch told The Express Tribune.

“The guard has not been arrested but we have started our investigation," Balouch said. “We are also investigating where the animal came from.”