KARACHI, Jan 7: Sindh wildlife staffers raided a shop in Saddar, recovered various stuffed endangered animals protected under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1972 and arrested a man running the shop on Friday. Sindh Wildlife Department game officer Nazar Hussain told Dawn that the staffers raided the shop in Saddar where various stuffed animals had been kept and a person was selling what were described as medicines.

He said that the stuffed animals included one black buck, three chinkara (two adults and one fawn), one urial, one hog deer, one porcupine, one wild cat, one green peacock and two eagles. He said that the stuffed animals and shopkeeper Naveed Akhtar, who was managing the shop titled “Hakeem Junaid Ghani”, had been brought to the Sindh Wildlife Department office.

He said that a First Offence Report (FOR) — SWD equivalent to police FIR — (No.43/289 of 2011) had been registered against Naveed of the Hakeem Junaid Ghani shop under Sections 10, 13, 17 and 33(a) of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1972.

Responding to Dawn queries, SWD conservator Dr Fahmida Firdous said that Naveed Akhtar had been released on bail and directed to come to the SWD office on Saturday so that the case could be decided and he had agreed to come on Saturday.

She said that since the stuffed animals were of endangered species protected under the wildlife protection laws, these would not be returned to the suspect and would remain in official custody and would be put on display in a wildlife museum.