KARACHI: Pakistan’s incredible wildlife is battling for its survival. It’s time the government took solid steps for its conservation by tackling threats to its existence, including deforestation and human encroachment contributing to habitat degradation, stated the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) on Wednesday.

The statement was released to mark the World Wildlife Day 2021, which is observed every year on March 3.

This year’s theme ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’ aligns with some specific UN Sustainable Development Goals that aim to conserve life and eradicate poverty.

‘Many species in Pakistan, and globally, face mounting threats due to deforestation and human encroachment’

“Many species in Pakistan, and globally, face mounting threats due to deforestation and human encroachment which leads to habitat degradation, while new threats such as unsustainable infrastructure and climate change are also emerging,” said WWF-P director general Hammad Naqi Khan.

This situation had made the survival of species — such as snow leopard, Indus River dolphin, common leopard, pangolins, brown bear and white-backed vulture — increasingly uncertain, he added.

The Living Planet Report 2020 of WWF (international) shows that in less than 50 years, human activity has resulted in wildlife populations plummeting by an average of 68 per cent globally.

“If serious efforts are not made, some of these animals will head to extinction in the near future. With wildlife constituting a critical part of the ecosystem, this biodiversity loss will result in a planet that cannot support current and future generations of people,” the report says.

Snow leopard rare hunting footage

To create awareness of Pakistan’s wildlife, WWF-P has released rare footage of a snow leopard hunting a Himalayan ibex in the Khunjerab National Park, approximately 15km from the Pak-China border.

The video by wildlife photographer Muhammad Osama shows the elusive cat in its natural habitat hunting for prey, indicating a healthy and thriving ecosystem that supports large populations of Himalayan ibex and snow leopards in the area.

The photographer followed the ibex herd in the brutal cold with temperature dropping to -18°C while searching for snow leopard’s fresh pugmarks, which eventually confirmed the presence of leopards in the area.

Since snow leopards are crepuscular in nature, the search took place during dawn and dusk.

“Capturing this hunt was once in a lifetime experience as it involved hours of tireless tracking, climbing mountains, and withstanding freezing cold temperatures” Osama said.

Important habitats for snow leopards and other wildlife, these areas also have immense significance for the millions of people downstream who depend on the area’s precious glacier waters for their livelihoods and drinking water.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2021