KARACHI, June 15: Illegal trading in the rare and endangered wildlife species protected under the relevant law is going on unchecked near the Sindh wildlife conservator’s office in the city while the department looks the other way, it is learnt. According to sources, certain traders having their shops on Burnes Road offering small aquariums and various species of fish are also dealing in fresh water turtles although trading in this species is banned. The laws prohibiting such trading specify long prison terms and heavy fines for defiant.

The turtles, put on display at the shops, carry a tag of Rs250 per piece and the way the trading is done, suggests that either officials of the Sindh Wildlife Department are involved in the affair or they do not give any importance to the wildlife protection, which is their prime responsibility.

The sources said that at any given time, some 50 turtles were on display at the shops but the shopkeepers, on demand, could also offer a much larger number within a few hours.

Responding to Dawn’s queries, an SWD turtle expert, Fahmida Firdous said that she had looked into the issue and had submitted a report to the conservator. He would be taking a decision in this regard.

She said that the National Council for the Conservation of Wildlife had declared all reptiles ‘protected’ and these fresh water turtles were also protected. Poaching and trading of the turtles was banned under the laws, she added.

The Sindh Wildlife Conservator, Ghulam Rasool Channa, said that he had sent a raiding party to Burnes Road to check the trading. He said that he had received the report submitted by Ms Firdous, but could not take action due to preoccupations. He, however, said that a raid would be conducted to check the trading and arrest the violators who would be punished under the relevant laws.

It may be recalled that a few days back, the Customs had confiscated over a dozen deer that were being smuggled out. Some of the animals had died owing to suffocation in the container.

The fact that the smugglers had not only managed to catch the deer from the wild but also safely reached up to the country’s exit point easily, has exposed the department’s efficiency in checking violation of relevant laws.