Punjab wildlife authorities have intensified action against illegal blood sports involving wild animals, with recent operations leading to arrests and heavy fines for suspects engaged in bear-baiting and wild boar hunting with dogs.
In Murree, Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Muhammad Ibrar and his team intercepted six men preparing to hunt wild boars with dogs.
The suspects were fined a total of Rs120,000 and released after settlement.
A similar attempt in Bahawalpur was thwarted by Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Tariq Abbas Khosa, who imposed a Rs35,000 penalty on one suspect.
Officials confirmed that despite a provincial ban, such practices remain widespread in rural areas. Over the past year, several incidents of dog-and-boar fights and bear-baiting have surfaced across Punjab.
Punjab Wildlife officials said bear-baiting and wild boar hunting with dogs are punishable under the Punjab Wildlife Act 1974 (amended), with penalties ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs1 million and imprisonment of three to five years.
Animal rights groups continue to demand stricter enforcement. Wildlife Conservator and Punjab Wildlife Management Board member, Badr Munir, said such practices are often staged under the patronage of influential landlords as public spectacles.
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