CHITRAL: An eight-year-old male markhor has been shifted to Peshawar for treatment after it lost eyesight in the core zone of Chitral Gol National Park.

Chitral Gol wildlife division forest officer Mohammad Buzurg confirmed to Dawn that the wild animal had been sent to Peshawar on the orders of wildlife conservator after it didn’t recover during last five days.

He said that this was the first case in which the animal had developed eye related disease, adding that the disease was needed to be diagnosed properly to keep other markers in the park from contracting it.

Meanwhile, the sending of the animal to Peshawar for treatment has become a bone of contention between the community and the wildlife department.

Talking to Dawn, Hussain Ahmed, chairman of Chitral Gol National Park Association (CGPA), said the DFO didn’t take the association into confidence before sending the sick markhor to Peshawar.

He said as per his knowledge and experience the disease was incurable, and that the wildlife officials only wanted to share the animal’s meet.

Mr Ahmed said that as CGPA was the statutory body of the department representing the community and was the umbrella organisation of two village conservation committees, it needed to be consulted by the DFO before sending the animal to provincial capital.

Regarding the rescue of the ailing animal, he said two community watchers had spotted the animal five days ago and shifted it to the wildlife hut inside the park, while reporting the matter to the park management.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2015

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