PESHAWAR, April 28: The government has yet to initiate work on rehabilitation of Kund Wildlife Park, which was washed away by floods last year. The park was developed over years to preserve endangered species.

Animals will be procured for the park through open bidding after the PC-I is approved. Enclosures and facilities would be developed anew, officials said.

“The estimated loss in Kund Wildlife Park is around Rs7 million whereas total damage to all wildlife parks in the province caused by the devastating flood last year is about Rs19.37 million,” an official of the wildlife department said.

Speaking about the damage caused by flood, the official said that structures, facilities and peasantries were damaged at Chitral, Swat, Dir, Kohistan, Peshawar, Kohat, D.I. Khan and other areas.

In July 2010, devastating flood of unprecedented magnitude hit parts of country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Official say that 70 mammals including over 22 black and brown bears were also found lost after the flood waters receded. Blackbuck, spotted deer, hog deer and chinkara were also lost in the flood.

The Kund Wildlife Park, which had become a breeding as well as rehabilitation centre and shelter since 1999 for the bears confiscated from those who misused the animal, was completely washed away.

Bears are found in high hills of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. People smuggle bear cubs to other parts of the country and use them for street entertainment and in the traditional dog-bear fights after removing their claws and teeth.

The Kund WildLife Park, spread over 30 acres of land, was a shelter and rehabilitation centre for such tortured animals but the floods proved fatal for them as they could not escape the floodwaters because they were kept in enclosures.

Mumtaz Malik, a former chief conservator who had seen the place developed over years from a recreational spot to a wildlife park since late 1980s, said when he visited the park after the calamity, he was in tears to see all the bears had gone.

“Years of nurturing and hard work were washed away in one day,” he said. Aware of the bureaucratic red-tape and financial situation of the province, he said that the park was developed in years and could not be rehabilitated overnight but the approach should be right.

“Wildlife should be given priority in the rehabilitation process and pro-active approach is required to rehabilitate the park,” he added.

Mr Malik added that the park should be developed or rehabilitated as a natural park as it would cost very little and would help in biological conservation of the endangered species.