Lahore: The Punjab Wildlife Department on Saturday raided the Sadiqabad area of Rahim Yar Khan and recovered a 52kg turtle of a rare breed.
The turtle was kept in a pond and was to be exported. Narrow-headed soft-shelled turtles (Chitra-indica ) have been included in the list of endangered wildlife and in the red list of the International Organization for Conservation of Wildlife and Nature (IUCN). The Punjab Wildlife Department arrested a person involved and seized the net and other tools.
The accused said that the turtle had come to his land from the river and he put it in the pond. “I did not know the law, and made a mistake,” he said. Meanwhile, the turtle was released back into its natural habitat, i.e. in the the river. Punjab’s senior provincial minister Maryam Aurangzeb paid tribute to the wildlife department.
It may be mentioned here that under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, an intensified operation to protect rare wildlife is going on in Punjab.