KARACHI - Speakers at a seminar held here on Wednesday expressed serious concern over startling reduction in the population of wild species in Thar.

They called upon the ordinary people and influential to stop illegal hunting in Thar for the protection and conservation of these rare species, which are on the verge of extinction owing to their ruthless hunting and trapping.

The speakers also demanded the government to impose a complete ban on hunting and poaching in Thar.

They were speaking at a half-day seminar on the ‘Protection of Wildlife in Thar’ held at Professor Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium of International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (UoK).

The seminar was addressed by Saeed Akhtar Baloch, Conservator Officer, Ghulam Sarwer Jamali, Deputy Conservator Officer, Director ICCBS Professor Dr M Iqbal Chaudhary, Ashfaq Ali Memon, Wildlife District Officer, Thar, and Lajpat Sharma Meharraj, former Wildlife District Officer, Thar.

Saeed Akhtar Baloch said that importance of wildlife could not be ignored, which was the wealth of Thar.

“Sindh is bestowed with the precious and rare species, including Nilgai (Blue Bull), deer, peacock, antelope, rabbit, partridge and sand grouse etc,” he said, and added, “Thar is in need of proper attention at all the levels so that precious wildlife can be protected.”

He further said that Tharparkar district was an amazing place where not a single crime was reported. “Moreover, Pakistan can also promote tourism in Thar for the betterment of the country’s economy,” he said, and added, “Wildlife department has forwarded a summary to the government to introduce a wildlife course at the graduate level.”      

Ashfaq Ali Memon delivered his speech with the help of a documentary film and a slideshow. He said that Thar desert formed a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. “In Pakistan, it covers about 20,000 square kilometers,” he said, and added that in Thar precious wildlife, including nilgai, deer, peacock, antelope, rabbit, partridge, sand viper, Egyptian vulture, flamingo, jungle lizard, monitor lizard and sand grouse were now endangered species.

“In the past, migratory birds were in abundance during the winter season, but in recent years these birds have declined significantly,” he said, and stressed the need for dealing with the causes of animal demise like climate change, global warming, pollution, illegal hunting.

Lajpat Sharma Meharraj said that better environment was linked to the wildlife conservation. “This great desert has animals, birds and plants in abundance,” he said.     

Ghulam Sarver Jamali said that the human population was increasing in Thar, but the wildlife was on the verge of extinction, which, he noted, was really a matter of concern for the country.

“We need to struggle to discover the right balance between human and animal welfare that leads towards harmony between man and environment,” he emphasised.

Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary said that the seminar was organised under the ICCBS Public Awareness Initiative.

He further said that the survival of human beings was linked to the wildlife, adding that humans and animals were the evolutionary partners. He said that Thar was rich in wildlife, but it needed proper protection and conservation.

“Despite the importance of wildlife, humans are losing wildlife globally,” he said and added that during the last 40 years populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish around the globe had dropped.