Written on deer skin

Banners have been put up in Lahore — near Punjab University and the Canal — inscribed with messages from a ‘Zainab’, who besides the usual gimmicks such as ‘marry the desired one’ or ‘have control over husband’, now provides services in finding a job. So, now we do not need to work hard or pursue higher degrees; we just have to visit Ms Zainab for her unique solution — an inscription on a deer pelt.

What a shame that in the 21^st century, where on the one hand we are launching 3G and 4G networks, and on the other, some people are either so innocent or so ignorant to fall for such stratagems. Anyway, the mention of a deer hide made me wonder: what is the fault of a poor deer if the country’s economy is in trouble and jobs are hard to find? I requested my friend to call the number given on the banner. Ms Zainab seemed busy with a client and asked to call back in 10 minutes.

Eventually, we got hold of her and she was a very open and confident lady and volunteered information that she provides inscriptions on deer skin. She said that while other people in the same field also claim to use deer skin, they actually don’t. However, she claims she uses genuine skin and she buys it, requesting us in the same breath to visit her at Astan-e-Zainab near Services Hospital in Lahore. This was shocking for many reasons; some people actually think that some inscription on a deer skin will get them a job.

Considering that all deer species are protected in Pakistan would also be covered under the Punjab Wildlife Act of 2007, the Clause 13 of the Act states “Restriction on transfer of animals, trophies or meat: no person shall receive by gift, purchase or otherwise any animal of a kind specified in the Second Schedule unless he receives a valid certificate of lawful possession and the second schedule provisions cover all deer and antelope species found in Pakistan”. I must clarify that under the law, “Trophy means skin, antlers, horn, meat, claws, etc”, which means that even a person who received a piece of deer skin requires a valid permit. In short, activities of Ms Zainab and her ilk are illegal. Even if Ms Zainab is not using real deer skin, it would be wrong to promote its use.

This incident reminded me of the time when I was working with the Lahore Zoo and we used to receive requests for the hair of tigers, bears, elephants, or the quill of porcupine, blood of an owl, etc, and I was told that these things are used for black magic. The zoo never provided this assistance and I am sure the difficulty of acquiring them through other means for the purposes of black magic would make misguided and innocent people pay even more — at the expense of wildlife.

Just a few weeks ago, I saw two men pulling out quills from a porcupine that was killed in a road accident in Defence Housing Authority. I assume their purpose may not be to collect a souvenir since I have also heard a well-known myth that a porcupine’s quills bring misfortune. But it’s sad how our society suffers from this stigma and how people like Zainab offer her services just off Jail Road close to two well-known women’s educational institutions (Kinnaird College and Lahore College for Women University).

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2014.

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