KARACHI: The provincial wildlife department has rescued 16 pelicans, a locally threatened species, and arrested three suspects allegedly attempting to transport the birds to Karachi from the interior parts of the province.

Sources said that the Hyderabad wildlife staff acting on a tip-off recovered the pelicans during checking on the Indus Highway in the jurisdiction of Jamshoro late on Monday night.

The birds, identified as great white pelicans, had been hidden in the vehicle loaded with goats.

According to officials, a case has been registered against the suspects, who were produced before the district and sessions court, Jamshoro, on Tuesday.

Speaking to Dawn, Sindh Wildlife Department Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar said that he believed that the birds were poached from Manchhar Lake — a water body spread over parts of Dadu and Jamshoro and a key bird habitat.

“We have never confiscated pelicans in these large numbers before,” he said, adding that while investigation into the case was going on, it seemed that the pelicans were hunted on different days.

“The poor bird is mercilessly killed for their fat, which is rendered into oils for traditional medicines. There are no scientific studies, though, linking its fat with any human good.”

According to him, the other species found in the region are Dalmatian pelicans, both are massive birds and known for long migration.

“Despite facing a serious shortage of freshwater intake, Manchhar Lake, also a Ramsar site, is still a bird hotspot,” he said, adding that there was a lot of poaching pressure on the lake and the department was trying to check it within limited resources and staff.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026