Novel approach: Low on staff, Wildlife Dept hunts poachers online

Govt wing has ramped up its cyberintelligence operations to crack down on those involved in illegal animal trade

LAHORE: With so much going on in the country on so many fronts, it’s easy for some issues to end up on the official backburner as those deemed more pressing grab all the attention. The list of government departments in Pakistan that have suffered systemic neglect for years is long and ever-increasing.

However, where many government wings reconcile themselves with being dysfunctional in the face of persistent disinterest, every now and then there is an odd department that tries to think outside the box in order to carry out its duties with limited resources.

The Punjab Wildlife Department counts itself among the latter ones. Facing a chronic manpower shortage, the provincial wing has instead opted for a novel approach to protecting the province’s fauna. According to department officials, the wildlife authorities are ramping up cyber intelligence operations to crack down on those who illegally hunt and sell protected animal species online.

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“Manpower shortage is the biggest challenge my department faces,” said Director General Wildlife Punjab Sohail Ashraf. “The entire department has just 900 field workers who do not even have the required resources,” he told The Express Tribune. “Considering we are tasked with curbing poaching and wildlife trafficking in the country’s second largest province which is also the most popular region for hunting activities, this is no easy job.”

Given the massive scope of the challenge, the department decided to look to the internet in order to nab those responsible for the illegal activities. “I met with senior officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Cell some time back and requested their cooperation in this regard,” Ashraf said. “We sat with them and prepared a strategy that relied on collecting intelligence against poachers and illegal animal traders online. With FIA help, we scanned social media for elements involved in the illegal animal hunting and trafficking trade, and our joint efforts have yielded positive results,” he added.

“Due to the web-monitoring strategy we introduced and the actions we took against those involved in the illegal activities, we have seen a significant decline in the business of selling and killing protected species,” Ashraf said.

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So far, the cyber intelligence operations of the Punjab Wildlife Department have led to the registration of 51 cases against 38 suspects. According to data provided by the department, the highest number of cases, 15, has been registered in the Sahiwal range. The Salt range follows behind a close second with 14 cases registered against poachers.

Six more individuals have been arrested in Bahawalpur, while four each have been arrested in Lahore and Multan. Another five individuals have been arrested in Faisalabad along with two in Sargodha and one in Gujranwala. A penalty of Rs1 million has been imposed on the suspects found guilty of illegal hunting while 13 cases are currently under trial.

It was not all smooth sailing for the Punjab Wildlife Department’s cyberintelligence initiative though. According to DG Ashraf, those involved in the illegal animal hunting and trafficking trade attempted to exert pressure from the outside on the provincial government wing.

“Some influential individuals who were involved in illegal hunts tried to use their sources to pressure us when we caught them,” he said. “But we adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards such activities and refused to give suspects a clean chit.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2019.