Three baboons rescued from Clifton shop

Pet shop owner insists animals imported on a valid permit

KARACHI: A Sindh wildlife department (SWD) team raided a pet shop in Clifton and recovered three baboons from the premises on Sunday.

The team conducted the raid to rescue the baboons after a video about the matter went viral on social media earlier the same day.

SWD conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar told The Express Tribune that the three baboons, which comprised a male and two females, would be handed over to the Karachi Zoological Garden or Safari Park, explaining that since they had been bred in captivity, they could not be released into the wild. He added that they were in good condition despite not being handled properly and being kept in cramped cages.

According to Mahar, the pet shop owner, Amer Soomro, claimed that the animals had been imported on a valid permit, which had been issued on the condition that they would be provided appropriate housing by the importer. "Instead, this shopkeeper, who was not the importer, put them in cages for selling," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2020.