Zubair Qureshi
Senior Minister of the Punjab government, Marriyum Aurangzeb along with Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam visited the IWMB’s animals rescue & rehabilitation centre at the old Marghazar Zoo site and thanked the Four Paws’ 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.
Chairperson of the IWMB, Raina Saeed Khan and Four Paws’ team lead Dr Amir Khalil and other vets of the global animal welfare group received the senior minister upon arrival.
Dr 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.
The 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.
Marriyum 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. “We want to take maximum advantage of the Four Paws’ team’s stay in Islamabad,” she said.
Unfortunately, animals’ welfare was missing from the Punjab government’s 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. Another 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.
Director General of the Punjab Wildlife has been made a focal person for close working with the Four Paws. PM’s 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. It 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.
