Activists demand ban on keeping wild animals as pets

Islamabad: The wildlife experts and animal activists have urged the government to make an end to all those laws that allow the people to keep wildlife animals as pets at their homes.

Seema Naqi, an animal activist, said “Wild animals should not be kept as pets inside houses. Strict penalties and laws are needed to curb this practice and ensure the safety of precious human lives. Such a high price for show off should not be allowed by law.”

Tariq Hasan, a resident of Rawalpindi, said “When the relevant authorities carry out raids on roadside sellers of birds and animals then they post their photographs on social media to show their performance. But they are now tight-lipped and not ready to reveal the name of the owner of the leopard that posed danger to the lives of the people.”

Syed Rizwan Mehboob, a wildlife expert, said “All wildlife districts should be given tranquillizer guns. There should be a complete ban on keeping big cats as pets. The people must stay away from big cats during the rescue operation and let the wildlife teams work. Unplanned housing near forest areas should also be curtailed.” He said “There is a lacunae in provincial wildlife legislation and applicability of CITES provisions. Unless this ambiguity created through rules on private breeding centres is removed, such issues will continue to surface.”

World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pakistan) in its statements said “Now that the leopard is safe in a rescue and rehabilitation centre, we urge authorities to undertake a proper investigation into this unfortunate incident. The conservation of endangered species is a priority for WWF-Pakistan.” “We strongly encourage the implementation of the Guidelines of Acquisition and Management of Big Cats in Captivity approved by the Ministry of Climate Change as part of the CITES Management Authority in 2011, which prohibit putting big cats in cages or placing them on a leash,” it said.