June 9, 2002

The Khirthar National Park is the only and the oldest environmentally protected area in Pakistan. In this beautifully produced booklet, Professor Z.B. Mirza guides the visitor to the park to make his trip truly enjoyable and fruitful. The book begins with geographical information about the park and its adjoining areas, along with a short guide on how to reach the place.

Once there, a visitor will find the park a haven of wildlife and plant species. The book is a mine of information — with illustrations — on the mammals, reptiles and birds (276 in all) found on this particular stretch of land. The park’s terrain is a variety of mountainous, sandy, stony and wetland area which hosts 475 plants.

The plants do not figure in this book but the mammals, reptiles and birds have been well described and illustrated. How many readers would know that the badger, lynx and hyena are found in the stony habitat while the pangolin (scaly anteater) and desert hedgehog lives on the edge of the water in the park. The gerbil, porcupine and jackal inhabit the croplands while pelicans, beautiful wild ducks, cranes and gulls are natives of the wetlands along with the alligator, terrapin and otter.

The author gives a number of tips which may sound trivial at first but are of great practical value. Thus his advice to use an insect repellent to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes in the park will be welcomed by those who visit the place. But it is strange that a guide of this kind does not carry the telephone numbers of the Sindh Wildlife Department.

The book also contains a map of the area. But it is not a guide map and cannot be used by tourists to find their way around in the park. Most travel guides, especially the ones in the protected zones or natural parks abroad, have extended maps delineating the features of the areas depicted to help tourists find their way around the reserves.

The back cover of the book carries a small dialogue box which says, “This book describes: what to do if you meet a wild animal.” But there is no separate section talking about how to fend off a possible attack. In fact some of the remarks are frivolous. Thus, it warns, “Apart from vipers, and cobras, all lizards and snakes in Pakistan are non-poisonous. Read up on them before visiting the Park and don’t worry about the other reptiles.” The section on the cobra, merely warns “bite can be painful”. In actual fact it can be fatal if the person bitten is not treated immediately.

The book is not very helpful on the hazards the visitor faces from the wildlife. Where does one get anti-snakebite serum? The suggestion to walk with “thumping steps” could also be dangerous as it would excite the snakes rather than drive them away.

As a guide, this book will have to incorporate a lot of more information if it is to be useful for a visitor.

A pocket guide to Khirthar National Park and its adjoining protected areas
By Prof Z.B. Mirza
PKP Exploration Ltd, 4th Floor (West Half), Jang Building, Fazl-i-Haq Road, Blue Area, PO Box 2438, Islamabad
Tel: 051-2823814
Email: mail@premier-oil.com
ISBN 969-8629-01-7
167pp. Rs150

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)