Animals that help save the planet at risk in Pakistan

An increasing number of animals endemic to Pakistan are losing, or have already lost, the battle to survive, reveal wildlife experts.

Animals rated “critically endangered” include snow leopards and jaguars found in northern Pakistan, the Indus River dolphins (known as bhullen in the Sindhi language), fresh- and sea-water turtles and Ibex (known locally as markhor).

The population of the Indian pangolins is also plummeting at a rapid pace.

The threats faced range from pollution and deforestation to illegal trade and climate change, explains Syed Nasir Jamal, the Inspector-General of Forests at the Ministry for Climate Change.

Turtles and frogs are a top target for poachers and smugglers, who then trade them for a nominal price outside the country.

As for the Indus dolphins, the practice of dumping chemical waste into the river is polluting its habitat, while the loss of wetlands further drives down their numbers. Interestingly, the dolphins could once also be found in the river Ravi. However, as the waters got murkier and polluted, the aquatic animals disappeared from its shores.

Over in the north, warmer temperatures, caused by global warming, are melting the glaciers and shrinking the natural habitat of the snow leopards.

“This seemingly ordinary wildlife,” says Dr. Uzma, a technical advisor at the World Wildlife Fund, “is a key contributor to the environment in Pakistan.” Vultures, she explains, rid the environment from poison by devouring carcasses of diseased animals. Only 10 percent of their population remains today in the country.

Pakistan urgently needs initiatives, such as planned plantation, water conservation, and pollution management to save its animals. Because once this damage is done, it can never be undone.