LAHORE: The Punjab Wildlife Department (PWD) has released 171 black spotted turtles in Head Balloki before the media and other stakeholders.
As many as 504 turtles of rare species were confiscated at Allama Iqbal International Airport on April20.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, in collaboration with the PWD, arranged a field visit for print and electronic media people. Head Balloki’s PWD Director-General Khalid Ayaz Khan and WWF Director Biodiversity Uzma Khan in a joint press briefing to the media at the Irrigation Rest House said that turtles were being released in their natural habitat with combine efforts of the WWF and Punjab Wildlife Department.
Khan said that remaining 333 turtles would be released in the wildlife sanctuary of Taunsa Barrage. He said the accused arrested for smuggling these turtles to Bangkok were fined Rs300,000 by the department. He admitted that the fine was just a fraction as compared to the profit earned through selling of smuggled turtles in the international market.
About illegal trade of protected wildlife species in different areas of Punjab and at Tollinton and Dharampura markets in Lahore, Khan said a survey was being conducted of such places to launch a crackdown.
Uzma said that the illegal trade of protected species was globally being considered an organized crime. She said a small pond turtle was being sold in the international market for about $250, which meant the consignment caught at the Lahore Airport could fetch $126,000. She said that stringent laws should be made to deter people from committing wildlife crimes.
