Furs of snow leopards recovered, 4 held

ABBOTTABAD: The Wildlife Department, Abbottabad Division, during a raid recovered furs of four snow leopards and arrested four persons belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan and Haripur districts, officials said on Friday.

They said that the raid was conducted on confidential information resultantly four offenders were arrested for possession of the illegal stuff. The furs were found to be illegally purchased from unknown locations in Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, they added. “The arrested persons have been charged under various sections of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity Act 2015,” said one of the officials. They were identified as Imran and Ayaz Ahmed, both residents of Astore in Gilgit-Baltistan; while Chan Zeb and Muhammad Riaz, residents of Khanpur in Haripur district. The investigations revealed that the snow leopards were hunted in Ghizer district in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The officials said that the Wildlife Department was actively pursuing the case and taking appropriate legal action against the persons involved in this illegal act.