LAHORE, Jan 22: An Indian swamp deer was added to a herd of four others at the Jallo Wildlife Park on Monday. The deer was caught by the Rangers at the border area near Shakargarh. It is the fifth deer which crossed into the Pakistan from India in three years. These deer were caught from bordering areas near Ganda Singh, Narowal, Kanganpur and Sharaqpur.

Punjab Wildlife Department (PWD) officials told Dawn such deer were found in the riveran area between the Bias and Ravi rivers in India. They said one deer cost Rs2 million.

Wildlife assistant director Anwar Maan told Dawn the department would breed the deer and supply the animal to other zoos and parks in the country.

Punjab Wildlife director general Imtiaz Tajwar thanked Rangers director general Hussain Mehdi for handing over the deer to the department.

Mr Maan said the Jallo Park also housed a variety of birds, including pheasants and peafowl. He said the breeding of birds had touched 1,800, a record in the last two decades.

He said the department was planning to release a large number of pheasants in Doag Talian for shooting next month. One can participate in the shooting after paying a fee yet to be decided.

He said that a pair of giraffes would also be housed at Jallo Park while three more giraffes would be bought from Africa. He said one giraffe would be given to the Lahore Zoo as there had been no giraffe there for the last decade.

The Wildlife department has also filed a case against Ganda Singh villagers who had caught and slaughtered one such swamp deer some time ago.

The horns of a swamp deer are considered precious.