A wildlife department team claimed to have arrested a suspect allegedly involved in the online trade of rare Indian flapshell turtles in Shalimar tehsil, Lahore, recovering a turtle from his possession. An FIR was registered at Baghbanpura police station.
The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater species found across South Asia. It is named after the femoral flaps on its plastron, which protect its limbs when it retracts into its shell.
Moreover, Burki Hadyara police registered an FIR against a suspect allegedly involved in bird netting in Cantonment tehsil, while an “illegal bird hunter” was fined Rs20,000 in Chunian tehsil.
In Bahawalnagar, Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Urooj Zaheer arrested two illegal wild-pigeon hunters and recovered an air gun. The hunters were fined Rs40,000.
A search-warrant operation in Minchinabad led to the recovery of four wild parrots, one “Raa” parrot and a grey francolin, with an FIR registered against the accused.
In Rajanpur, Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Saima Mohsin’s team recovered two illegal nets used to capture quails. Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Mirza Abid Hussain arrested two people involved in illegal wild-bird trade and fined them Rs90,000.
Authorities also retrieved 174 kanals and 17 marlas of land at Kallar Kahar from illegal occupants.
