Four Paws requested to assist Punjab govt in R&D, training of wildlife staff and in establishing Lahore Safari
\n Islamabad
\nSenior Minister of the Punjab government, Marriyum Aurangzeb along with Prime Minister\u2019s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam visited the IWMB\u2019s animals rescue & rehabilitation centre at the old Marghazar Zoo site and thanked the Four Paws\u2019 team for treatment of the black Asiatic bears which were confiscated from their captors in various parts of Punjab and sent to the IWMB rescue centre for safety and treatment.
\nChairperson of the IWMB, Raina Saeed Khan and Four Paws\u2019 team lead Dr Amir Khalil and other vets of the global animal welfare group received the senior minister upon arrival.
\nDr Amir Khalil and Dr Frank Goeritz along with Dr Marina Ivanova, Velizar Angelov briefed the Aurangzeb about various surgical procedures, castration of male bears and dental treatment of both male and female animals during the last three days.
\nThe animals are now doing well and enjoying a pain-free time in their cages, said one of the Four Paws members while briefing the minister.
\nMarriyum Aurangzeb was visibly moved by the dedicated support and advanced medical care provided to the bears and, later in her interaction with media acknowledged this as well. She said there were four more bears confiscated from Bahawalnagar, Sargodha and other areas of the Punjab and they too would be brought to the IWMB animal rescue centre. \u201cWe want to take maximum advantage of the Four Paws\u2019 team\u2019s stay in Islamabad,\u201d she said.
\nUnfortunately, animals\u2019 welfare was missing from the Punjab government\u2019s agenda and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif immediately after assuming the charge gave clear instructions that maltreatment and torture on animals will not be tolerated, said Marriyum Aurangzeb. About cooperation with the Four Paws, she said the Punjab government needed their expertise, technical support and training of the provincial wildlife staff in this regard. Moreover, a Safari Park for the animals in Lahore would also be set up and a huge area has already been earmarked at the Baidian Road, she said.
\nAnother important element is Research & Development and public awareness. We shall initiate various courses on animal sciences and hands-on training at the university level, said Marriyum Aurangzeb.
\nDirector General of the Punjab Wildlife has been made a focal person for close working with the Four Paws. PM\u2019s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said the animal rescue centre would be upgraded and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is keen on preservation of ecosystem, biodiversity and animal welfare.
\nIt may be mentioned that after the public outrage in the wake of deaths of animals and maltreatment and above all after the passage of historic judgment by the then Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah, all animals were relocated to sanctuaries and the Marghazar Zoo was permanently closed. The climate change ministry later announced it would establish a conservation centre, with facilities to treat and rehabilitate injured wildlife.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Four Paws requested to assist Punjab govt in R&D, training of wildlife staff and in establishing Lahore Safari Islamabad Senior Minister of the Punjab government, Marriyum Aurangzeb along with Prime Minister\u2019s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam visited the IWMB\u2019s animals rescue & rehabilitation centre at the old Marghazar Zoo site and thanked the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-399446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n