Black Bears Rescued After Foiled Smuggling Attempt

The Wildlife Department in Lodhran has foiled an attempt to smuggle two black bears and arrested four people.

Officials said the bears were being transported to Mailsi when the suspects were taken into custody and legal proceedings have been initiated against them. Among those arrested are Waqas, son of Allah Ditta, and Farid, son of Allah Bux.

Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Samiullah confirmed that the rescued bears were later shifted to the Bahawalpur Zoo. He warned that smuggling of wild animals would not be tolerated and strict action would be taken against anyone involved in such illegal activity.

Punjab’s ongoing wildlife protection campaign has led to several successful operations across the province, resulting in the rescue of endangered animals and the recovery of illegally held wildlife.

These operations were carried out under the supervision of Chief Wildlife Ranger Mubeen Elahi, who is leading the province-wide crackdown on illegal hunting and wildlife possession.

As part of the campaign, an injured female hog deer was rescued from a water channel in Changa Manga and given medical care.

In Dipalpur, a female nilgai that had wandered from its habitat was safely captured and moved to Sulemanki Wildlife Park. In Multan, officials also seized illegal quail netting gear used for trapping birds.