LAHORE: A wildlife department team claimed to have arrested a suspect allegedly involved in online trade of rare Indian flapshell turtles in Shalimar tehsil of Lahore, recovering a turtle from his possession.

India flapshell turtle is a fresh water species found in South Asia. Their name stems from the presence of femoral flaps on the plastron, which protect their limbs when they retract into their shell.

An FIR was registered against the suspect at Baghbanpura police station.

Similarly, an FIR was registered against a suspect allegedly involved in bird netting in Cantonment tehsil of Lahore by Burki Hadyara police, while in Chunian tehsil, an “illegal bird hunter” was fined Rs20,000.

In another successful operation, Bahawalnagar Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Urooj Zaheer, arrested two illegal hunters of wild pigeons, along with an air gun. The hunter was fined Rs40,000.

In a separate raid, conducted under a search warrant in Minchinabad tehsil, four wild parrots, one “Raa” parrot, and one grey francolin were recovered, and an FIR was registered against the accused.

Likewise, Rajanpur Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Saima Mohsin, leading a team, recovered two illegal netting gears used for capturing quails and initiated legal proceedings against the accused.

In two other operations, Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Mirza Abid Hussain arrested two individuals involved in illegal trade of wild birds and imposed a fine of Rs90,000 on them.

Meanwhile, at Kallar Kahar, 174 kanals and 17 marlas of land allocated for the Wildlife Line Kallar Kahar, Command and Control Centre, Salt Range, and Wildlife Protection Centre were retrieved from illegal occupants.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2026