ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) last week rescued two pangolins, one adult and one juvenile, from poachers who had been involved in their illegal trade.
WWF-Pakistan says it has been working with IWMB in the rescue and protection of pangolins in recent times and in light of the latest rescue operation, proposed the idea of installing radio telemetry transmitters on the rescued pangolins with the help of PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi.
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The subsequent installation of radio telemetry device was successfully executed on 13 December, 2022. This intervention is part of the ongoing collaboration between WWF-Pakistan, IWMB and Arid Agriculture University.
ماں اور بچے پینگولین کو اسمگلروں سے بچا کر واپس قدرتی ماحول میں آزاد چھوڑ دیا گیا۔پاکستان میں پہلی دفعہ ماں پینگولین پر ریڈیو ٹرانسمیٹر لگایا گیا ہے۔ اس ریڈیو ٹرانسمیٹر کی مدد سے الگے 6 مہینوں تک جنگلی ماحول میں ان پینگولین کے بارے میں نٸی تحقیق حاصل کرنے میں مدد ملے گی۔ pic.twitter.com/CkIoXZ8zHl
— Amiruddin Mughal (@MughalAmiruddin) December 14, 2022
WWF-Pakistan says poaching and illegal wildlife trade of the Indian pangolin are the main threats that are driving the decline of this endangered species in Pakistan. These threats are exacerbated mainly due to the lack of awareness, where pangolins are seen as agricultural pests along with other negative perceptions among the local communities, which lead to their poaching.
WWF-Pakistan says it aims to strengthen in-situ pangolin conservation by enhancing law enforcement capacity, improving community awareness to effectively protect this species, and implementing a series of conservation interventions for pangolins via different projects.
Telemetry-based methods have been applied on most pangolin species but this is the first time in Pakistan that this method has been used on the Indian pangolin. Telemetry methods are a reliable tool for gathering data on species’ area use and survival rates and will prove to be an efficient technique in finding out the home range of Indian pangolins.
