The Syndh (SWD )’s Wildlife Department has formally opposed the proposed relocation of illegally imported exotic monkeys from Karachi to Lahore, asking the Federal Government to withdraw their recommendations from May 8 and, on the other hand, follow the legal procedures and scientific guidelines.
According to the sources, Customs staff had confiscated 26 monkeys, capuchinos and titi with tufts, in January at Karachi airport, being imported by m/s khayal Enterprises in an alleged false certificate of non -objection (noc) of South Africa.
In March, the illegal shipping of Monos, two of which died at the airport while they were in custody of customs officials, was delivered to the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) animals organization for lack of coordination between the government departments.
According to a statement issued by the SWD today, “the department formally opposed the proposed relocation of illegally imported exotic monkeys, urging the Government to reconsider the recommendation issued and instead to adhere to due legal process and scientific standards.”
The statement said that at a high -level virtual meeting in April, the federal secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change constituted a technical committee to evaluate the situation and propose recommendations based on legality, science and animal welfare.
The joint report, presented by SWD and WWF-Pakistan (Karachi), concluded that relocating the animals to Lahore “would not only be harmful to their health and well-being, but also challenge solid scientific reasoning and established legal frames,” the statement said.
However, MOCC recommended the transfer to Lahore without consulting the notified committee or reviewing its findings in the agreed forum, he said.
The statement said the SWD expressed serious concerns about the decision, noting that no intimidation of the recommendation to the Court of First Instance was provided.
“The department emphasized that all wildlife located in Sindh, regardless of its origin, enjoys full legal protection under section 21 of the Wildlife Protection Law of Sindh 2020,” the statement said.
“For scientific reasons, the department firmly opposed the transfer of these tropical primates highly sensitive to an installation that lacks the specific appropriate attention of the species.”
“The report stressed that the Lahore -based installation recommended by the Federal Ministry has previously documented failures in the attention of primates, including inappropriate hygiene, the breeding of poor animals, limited behavioral enrichment and a stress record and mortality in animals,” he said, adding that any additional relocation would impose another traumatic episode and could result in additional fatalities.
“In addition, there is still an unresolved public health concern, since the monkeys were imported through illegal channels and can carry non -diagnosed zoonotic pathogens, making their additional movement without an integral detection of a risk of biosecurity,” he said.
A study in 2018, compiled through undercover surveys of 55 markets in 23 cities in Pakistan, revealed that most of those derived from species/animals for sale in these markets were listed within the Convention on International Trade in endangered species and the International Union for the Conservation of the Red List of Threatened Species of Nature.
The study found that Karachi organized the largest number of markets and stores that deal with illegal wildlife, followed by Peshawar. The consumption of the dry meat of the Indian cobra and the sand of the sand was recorded to extend in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
