LAHORE: In the early hours of Sunday, a Bengal tigress that an animal dealer had purchased from a Lahore breeding farm and was transporting to Multan escaped from its cage into the nearby fields.
Muhammad Adnan was recognized as the animal trader.
The tigress was being taken in a pick-up in a cage, Dawn was informed by Sheikh Zahid, the deputy director of the Punjab Wildlife Department in Multan. The car became bogged on the damp, muddy route from the rain as it approached Bosan Road on the mud track behind Multan Public High School.
The large cat broke out of its cage and ran into the fields as the truck strained to get out of the muck. When Muhammad Adnan, the owner, called the police on 15, they advised him to get in touch with the wildlife department as they may offer assistance in this area. The villagers were terrified when word got out that a tigress was prowling around in the open.
However, the enraged tigress is said to have fled into fields and hurt two people, one of whom was a wildlife official. The injuries, however, were described as minor. The DHA Multan Zoo veterinarian and representatives of the Punjab Wildlife Department participated in the tigress’s capture. After the large cat was tranquilized with a tranquilizer gun by a veterinarian from the DHA Multan Zoo, it was eventually captured.
Big cat is captured by private zoo veterinarian and wildlife officers after several hours of work.
Adnan was fined Rs221,000 by the wildlife authorities in accordance with the Punjab Wildlife Act 1974. After the fine was paid, the tigress was given back to its owner, according to Mr. Zahid.
Director General Mudassar Riaz Malik of the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department stated that wildlife officers participated in the rescue effort. In response to a query about why tigers and lions were not yet listed in the Punjab Wildlife Department’s Schedule 3, the DG stated that a meeting was held on Monday, this day, to establish guidelines and control the matter of retaining tigers and lions in homes and breeding farms. He went on, “Such animals fall under Schedule 3, and keeping them domestically is prohibited.”
WWF-Pakistan representatives would also be present at the meeting.
In response to the inquiry about what would happen to the private breeding farms that house a large number of lions and tigers if these creatures were placed in Schedule 3, Mr. Malik stated that this is an important topic that would be covered in the meeting in addition to all other matters and potential licensing of such animals. In response to yet another query, Mr. Malik stated that either a new schedule or a new law would be covered at the meeting.
The director of wildlife indicated that new legislation would be introduced in accordance with the regulations that the cabinet had authorized for the Captive Wildlife Management Committee.
The Bengal tigress is said to be between two and three years old, and its estimated value is between Rs. five and Rs. six million.
