Training on wildlife crime scene investigation concludes

CHITRAL: A three-day training programme on preventing illegal hunting and wildlife crime scene investigation, organized through the collaboration of the Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department concluded here on Saturday.

The training, held from February 18 to 20, 2025, was attended by 12 officers and field staff from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department. This initiative was financially supported by the UK government under the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund (IWTCF) through the Biodiversity Challenge Funds. The primary objective of the training was to enhance the capacity of wildlife department field staff so they can conduct wildlife crime investigations based on modern scientific methods and international standards.

The closing ceremony was attended by prominent officials, including Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Chitral Gol National Park, Rizwanullah Yousafzai; DFO Wildlife Division Chitral, Farooq Nabi; Deputy Director Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) Chitral, Ejaz Ahmed; Fisheries Department Chitral’s Akhtar; and representatives from the Chitral Press Club.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Jamiullah Shirazi, manager of the Snow Leopard Foundation Chitral, welcomed the participants and expressed gratitude for their participation.

Dr. Shoaib Hameed, senior programme manager at SLF shed light on the key topics discussed during the training.