DADU: Wildlife officials on Tuesday sprang into action after some social media activists shared photos of three Sindh Ibex carcasses lying lead near Taung spot of the Bambh Seer area within the Kirthar National Park.

The activists apprehended that the species might have fallen victim to some mysterious disease but local wildlife officials responded quickly to rule out any such possibility.

However, a team of wildlife officials led by deputy director Wali Mohammad Birhmani rushed to the specified spot and took the carcasses into its custody to ascertain cause of their death. Sharing facts with Dawn, Mr Birhmani said that the dead ibex were male aged eight to 12 years.

He said samples were taken and sent to a lab in Tando Jam to ascertain the actual cause of their deaths.

He noted that the carcasses were found close to a water spring, suggesting that they might have died after drinking the water. But jumping to a conclusion before receiving the lab report would be too early, he added.

Allaying fears expressed by the social media activists and animal-lovers, he said the team visited the Kambho, Kathio, Jhating and other parts of the national park but found no other ibex or any other animal species having died or contracting some mysterious disease.

He said his department kept a strict and constant watch in terms of the health and wellbeing of all animal species and their population growth.

He pointed out that deaths and illnesses in animals were reported time to time but they related to extreme weather conditions and natural causes alone.

Official rules out outbreak

When contacted, chief conservator Jawaid Mahar ruled out possibility of any outbreak of the feared mysterious disease in the National Kithar Park.

The park is spread over an area of 0.7 million acres in Jamshoro-Malir districts and is house to more than 500 wild species.

He said that according to the 2002-03 survey, the Sindh Ibex population in the part was around 14,000. But, he added, the population showed an increase every year.

Vaccination advised

An influential notable of the area, Sardar Hakim Ali Khan Nohani, who belongs to the Bado Jabal area of Jamshoro district, expressed his concern over the report about the death of the three ibex species in mysterious circumstances. He said some locals had also informed him about more deaths of different wild species in Bodo Jabal and Karchat areas of the park.

He recalled that such fatalities had occurred last year as well amid reports of some mysterious diseases. He advised the wildlife department to carry out a survey and employ vets to diagnose the animals’ health issues. If there were indeed some diseases responsible for the fatalities, then proper vaccination should be undertaken, he advised.

He also offered help on the part of his clan in this regard.

Former wildlife deputy conservator Ghulam Sarwar Jamali agreed with Sardar Nohani on the vaccination idea. He told Dawn that not only wild animals, but livestock would also be prone to various diseases. He explained that “all animals in the park area drink the same water and they mostly came across while grazing as well”. There was a possibility of their contracting viral diseases from sick ones, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2023