Lucrative trade: Wildlife Dept eyes big cats export

Population of wild animals on the rise

LAHORE: Wildlife Director General Khalid Ayyaz Khan said on Tuesday that all necessary steps were being taken to ensure the welfare of big cats across the Lahore Zoo and the Lahore Safari Zoo Park.

He made the remarks while addressing a meeting convened to increase the number of wild animals in captivity. Khan said a conducive environment had been fostered there to increase their number. He said it was due to this that the number of big cats at the zoos had increased. Khan said this should be a cause for celebration.

The wildlife DG said the department was looking after 67 big cats. Of these, he said, 32 were in the Safari Park, 18 in the Lahore Zoo, a dozen in the Bahawalpur Zoo, four in Loi Bheer Park and one in Murree Park.

He said the Safari Park had 20 lions, three white lions, three Bengal tigers, a white tiger, two others, two pumas and two black jaguars. Khan said the Lahore Zoo was home to 12 lions, two Bengal tigers, a white tiger, two other tigers and one puma. He said the Bahawalpur Zoo had eight lions, two Bengal tigers and two pumas in its collection. Khan said Loi Bheer and Murree together had one Siberian tiger and four lions.

Khan stressed the importance of cultivating a big cat-friendly environment across the Punjab. He said this had to be done to increase their numbers. Khan said an increase in the number of big cats would allow them to be housed across various places province-wide. Khan said this would stimulate tourism.

The Wildlife DG revealed that the government had formulated a strategy to export big cats to other provinces and abroad. He said contracts for this would be given final shape soon. Lahore Zoo Director Shafqat Ali, Lahore Safari Zoo Park Deputy Director Syed Zafarul Hasan and Wildlife Headquarters Deputy Director Naeem Bhatti were also present on the occasion.



Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2016.