PESHAWAR - An amazing nature survivalist and wildlife rescuer who also operates an educational YouTube channel `Wild Rush’ to create awareness about conservation of indigenous wild species, has claimed filming of first ever documentary on rare flying squirrel in Pakistan. Hailing from Bahawalpur district, Abdul Rehman owns a tea stall at a rural settlement in his hometown, but passionate love for nature and wildlife has made him an amazing nature survivalist and wildlife rescuer who, along with his team members, have saved around 10,000 venomous species including snakes and scorpion in Cholistan desert during the last one decade. For filming documentary on flying rodent, Rehman traveled along with his crew to Kashmir from Bahawalpur on his own expense and spent five days and four nights in dense forest for capturing a cleaver and tricky nocturnal specie which mostly spend times on trees. In the eight minutes and 33 seconds long video documentary, Rehman displayed all body texture of the rare wild specie from its long dangerous incisor teeth to woolly tail and patagium that helps the rodent to fly or glide from one tree to another. Rehman said it was very difficult to catch the squirrel because the specie became active at night, but his consistent efforts, patience and guidance of locals helped him trap the animal for display in the video and later was released in natural habitat. The video is recorded within dense forest from location where the squirrel was trapped for recording of video. The flying squirrel is scientifically known as `Eoglaucomys fimbriatus’ and also as `Kashmir flying squirrel’ that belongs to `Sciuridae’ family. In Pakistan, three kinds of flying squirrel are found including Red Giant, Kashmir flying squirrel and Woolly flying squirrel, explains Rehman in the video. In local Kashmiri language, Kashmir squirrel is called as `Khris’ and in Urdu it is named as `Urran Guleri’, The nocturnal rodent search for food during night and spend most of its time on trees of walnut, he added.
The flying squirrel likes moist temperature where rainfall is in plenty and can be found mostly on Pine, Oak and on Walnut trees. It makes nest on top of the trees in bowl shape and its breeding season starts with onset of summer season.
The rare squirrel has two litters per breeding season, giving birth to two to four babies which also reach to full size by early November in the beginning of the winter season.
The average length of flying squirrel from tip of snout to start of tail is around 13 inches, while tail is around 12 inches long.
The squirrel does not fly, but it glides from one tree to another tree up to 50 meters for search of food, Rehman added.
Before releasing the trapped squirrel, Rehman kissed her to display his love for wild species and passion for conservation.
“Kashmir flying squirrel is quite common in its habitat of Kashmir region but the remaining Red Giant and Woolly squirrel are very rare in the country,” opines former Inspector General of Forests Syed Mahmood Nasir.
Talking to APP, Mahmood Nasir appreciated the efforts made by Abdul Rehman in spreading awareness about flying squirrel.
He said such documentaries would help in creating awareness about rare species, its habitat, eating habits and threats to existence.
Former IGP stressed upon different organizations to sponsor such passionate wild conservationists who despite of their meager earning spend from own pocket to visit different places, stays for several nights and make recordings for awareness of masses about different wild species.
It merits a mention here that the Wild Rush channel of Abdul Rehman on Youtube is getting popular with the passage of time and in a limited period of several months, its subscription has been reached to 49.1 k.
He has set a goal of documenting and uploading of informative videos of almost all the wild species being found in Pakistan on YouTube channel till the year 2025.
On Wild Rush YouTube channel, Abdul Rehman is sharing informative videos on different species including birds, insects and reptiles.
He is not educated on his field and do a lot of hard work for getting information from internet on different species.
“I wake up early in the morning and starts my research work at around 5:00 a.m till 12:00 p.m,” he apprises APP. At around 3:00 p.m, he arrives at his stall and serves tea till late night to eke out living.
For better understanding about habits of different species he also contacts wildlife experts and holds discussion with them for learning.
I hardly earns around Rs. Three to Four hundreds on daily basis and make a saving from meagre earning to hire camera, camera man and for meeting the travel expense of visiting different areas for recording of videos about different species, Reham informed.
Rehman said he wants to protect and promote wildlife of Pakistan where a lot of works needs to done for conservation through awareness.
Abdul Rehman plans to get a sponsor for recording a documentary video on blunt nosed viper by staying in its habitat of Chiltan mountainous range in Baluchistan.
There is hardly any work being done on blunt nosed viper being found in Pakistan and I wanted to explore it and make a complete documentary on it, he added.
Similarly, he also wish to stay within close proximity of dens of hyenas and to make a film documentary on the specie to highlight its status and threats.
The flying squirrel likes moist temperature where rainfall is in plenty and can be found mostly on Pine, Oak and on Walnut trees. It makes nest on top of the trees in bowl shape and its breeding season starts with onset of summer season.
The rare squirrel has two litters per breeding season, giving birth to two to four babies which also reach to full size by early November in the beginning of the winter season.
The average length of flying squirrel from tip of snout to start of tail is around 13 inches, while tail is around 12 inches long.
The squirrel does not fly, but it glides from one tree to another tree up to 50 meters for search of food, Rehman added.
Before releasing the trapped squirrel, Rehman kissed her to display his love for wild species and passion for conservation.
“Kashmir flying squirrel is quite common in its habitat of Kashmir region but the remaining Red Giant and Woolly squirrel are very rare in the country,” opines former Inspector General of Forests Syed Mahmood Nasir.
Talking to APP, Mahmood Nasir appreciated the efforts made by Abdul Rehman in spreading awareness about flying squirrel.
He said such documentaries would help in creating awareness about rare species, its habitat, eating habits and threats to existence.
Former IGP stressed upon different organizations to sponsor such passionate wild conservationists who despite of their meager earning spend from own pocket to visit different places, stays for several nights and make recordings for awareness of masses about different wild species.
It merits a mention here that the Wild Rush channel of Abdul Rehman on Youtube is getting popular with the passage of time and in a limited period of several months, its subscription has been reached to 49.1 k.
He has set a goal of documenting and uploading of informative videos of almost all the wild species being found in Pakistan on YouTube channel till the year 2025.
On Wild Rush YouTube channel, Abdul Rehman is sharing informative videos on different species including birds, insects and reptiles.
He is not educated on his field and do a lot of hard work for getting information from internet on different species.
“I wake up early in the morning and starts my research work at around 5:00 a.m till 12:00 p.m,” he apprises APP. At around 3:00 p.m, he arrives at his stall and serves tea till late night to eke out living.
For better understanding about habits of different species he also contacts wildlife experts and holds discussion with them for learning.
I hardly earns around Rs. Three to Four hundreds on daily basis and make a saving from meagre earning to hire camera, camera man and for meeting the travel expense of visiting different areas for recording of videos about different species, Reham informed.
Rehman said he wants to protect and promote wildlife of Pakistan where a lot of works needs to done for conservation through awareness.
Abdul Rehman plans to get a sponsor for recording a documentary video on blunt nosed viper by staying in its habitat of Chiltan mountainous range in Baluchistan.
There is hardly any work being done on blunt nosed viper being found in Pakistan and I wanted to explore it and make a complete documentary on it, he added.
Similarly, he also wish to stay within close proximity of dens of hyenas and to make a film documentary on the specie to highlight its status and threats.
