Wildlife of Pakistan 1
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Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN 1 Chief Editor: Z. B. Mirza Editor: Waseem Ahmad Khan Editorial Board: Grace M. Yoxon Saeed Akhtar Baloach Mohammad Naeem Bhatti Mohammad Javaid Ayub Nazish Mazhar Ali Naureen Mumtaz Safwan Shahab Ahmad Publisher: Pakistan Wildlife Foundation Basement Baloachistan Plaza, Fazal-ul-Haq Road, Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan Email: [email protected] Website: www.pakwildlife.org Registration No. 25001 - Copr Intellectual Property Organisation, Government of Pakistan ISSN 2227-1813 Printer: Vision Graphics Blue Area, Islamabad. 0301-5538710 Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 CONTENTS 03│ Editorial 04│ What is Wildlife 06│ Understaning the Snakes 11│ National Parks in Pakistan 14│ Wildlife and parks department - Punjab 18│ An Introduction to Biodiversity of Gilgit-Baltistan 21│ IUCN Threatened Categories 26│ Pitcher irrigation; Efficient Agriculture for Food Security and Nature Conservation WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN 2 28│ Mud Volcanoes of Pakistan 30│ Role of Children in Wildlife Conservation 32│ Musk Deer in Kashmir 35│ Biological Control in the Context of Insect Biodiversity 36│ Barn Owl: a Friend of Farmers 37│ Conservation awareness of Margallah Hills National park: a success story 39│ Wildlife Photography 41│ Wildlife News 45│ About Pakistan Wildlife Foundation 49│ Announcements 60│ Acknowledgments Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF Cover Photo: Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 EDITORIAL Pakistan Wildlife Foundation (PWF) lovers, university students and nature conservation in Pakistan. was established in June 2010 as a researchers to share their wildlife Pakistan Wildlife Foundation non-profit, conservation organization related experiences and ideas awards “Best Article Shield” to the by a small group of likeminded besides help protect, preserve, writers on the basis of readers’ conservationists, nature lovers and conserve, management of wildlife, evaluations to inculcate an interest wildlife ecologists with the mission their habitats and their wise and in communicating among wildlife to enhance awareness among the sustainable utilization in the lovers and young writers. masses in the country regarding country. WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN; biodiversity and environment and a quarterly magazine has been Readers comments, suggestions to change their attitudes towards launched to disseminate wildlife and recommendations will be greatly positive, sensible and responsible related news, issues, ideas and appreciated by the Editors. actions for nature. The foundation information for wildlife lovers in the was incorporated with Securities and country and abroad. The magazine A separate section; “Letters to Exchange Commission of Pakistan encourages wildlife lovers to Editor” is allocated in the magazine (SECP) in October, 2010 under the communicate effectively. for readers’ feedback. The Editorial Corporate Universal Identification Board can be accessed / approached No. 0073723. It also serves as a medium to through Emails at; propagate the national and the Pakistan Wildlife Foundation aims individuals’ achievements and land [email protected] to provide a platform for the nature marks of interest among youth for [email protected] WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN 3 Observing Marcopolo Sheep (Ovis ammon polii) in Karchenai Nullah, Khunjerab National Park © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 Atif Yaqub Muhammad Faizan Naeem Lahore Lahore Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] WHAT IS WILDLIFE! When we hear the term "wildlife", it undomesticated state. Oxford collectively. Longman Cambridge generally refers to large ferocious Advanced Learner's Dictionary advanced learner's dictionary animals living in jungles and forests defines the term wildlife as animals, describes wildlife as animals and such as tigers, lions, elephants, birds, insects, etc. that are wild plants that grow independently wolves, Wild boars, deer's etc. But and live in a natural environment. of people, usually in natural in fact, "wildlife" implies to any living According to the concise Oxford conditions. Longman dictionary of organism in its natural habitat which dictionary of zoology, “wildlife is Contemporary English Advanced includes all plants, animals and any undomesticated organisms, Learner's dictionary delimits the micro organisms except cultivated although the term is sometimes term wildlife as animals and plants plants and domesticated animals. restricted to wild animals, excluding growing in natural conditions. From ecological view point, wildlife plants”. Collin's concise dictionary Dictionary of contemporary English is a renewable resource. Wildlife and thesaurus terms wildlife as quotes wildlife as animals and also includes the flora present in flora and fauna. Collin's English plants growing in natural conditions. WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN the forests. Basically the flora is the dictionary refers wildlife as wildlife The new International Webster's 4 collections of plants and fauna, the animals and plants collectively. comprehensive dictionary of the collection of animals. Precious plants English Collins Dictionary terms English language states wildlife and animals are becoming extinct or wildlife as wild animals and plants as wild animals, trees and plants endangered as a result of clearing of the forests. The forests are home to many precious species of plants and animals. In fact, the wealth of wildlife is so much that we have not even identified a large number of the species. Many practices like poaching, encroaching forestland for cultivation and occupation, pollution, etc. have resulted in the decline in numbers of wildlife, both flora and fauna. By far, various experts have attempted to define the term, “wildlife” in great many ways. Here is a brief account of how various experts quote wildlife. The American heritage dictionary of the English language defines wildlife as animals and vegetation, especially animals living in a natural, The Pioneer White / African Caper White (Anaphaeis aurota) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 may be different angles to limit and delimit the term wildlife. The above account, however, enables us to agree that rapidly growing understanding of wildlife is improving our concepts faster than ever before. No wonder, in future scientists may suggest normal flora (bacteria and other microorganisms living on wild animals and plants) as part of the wildlife as well. No one knows what comes ahead. The ever increasing scientific understanding of nature and ecology may sometime open new dimensions to us. To make an agreement, all life forms living in natural habitat are part and parcel of the term “wildlife”. Since all Indian Tree Lizard (Calotes versicolor) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF living things, generally animals and collectively, especially as objects deer, moose, birds, etc. Economic plants, in all natural ecosystems, of government conservation. zoology – A dictionary of useful & struggling to survive under various Macmillan dictionary refers wildlife destructive animals coins wildlife as ecological and evolutionary forces, as animals, birds, and plants that wild animals and plants adding that WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN are interrelated and can never be live in natural conditions. Saunder's there exists a multi-million dollar parted; the term wildlife may refer to 5 veterinary dictionary: Animals wildlife trade. all of them. running unrestrained in a natural There may be extended views or environment. According to Alan Gilpin Dictionary of environmental terms, “A collective term embracing several thousand different species of mammals, birds and reptiles is wildlife. No two species respond in precisely the same manner and degree to the influences of the environment; the differences in response are aspects of competition, selection and evolution.” Dictionary of environmental science and engineering quotes, “Wildlife includes any animals, bees, butterflies, crustaceans, fish moths and aquatic or land vegetation which forms part of any habitat”. Hanson Dictionary of Ecology describes wildlife as collectively the non-domesticated vertebrate animals, except fishes, such as Black buck (Antilope cervicapra) © Waseem Ahmad Khan, PWF Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012 Z. B. Mirza Islamabad Email: [email protected] UNDERSTANDING THE SNAKES Most people fear snakes and pythons have two lungs. Python’s showing the skin beneath. The liver, several attempt to kill them, as they left lung is much smaller than the urinary organs and genital organs do not know that they are part of right one, which is very long. Snakes are also elongated. The elongated the natural ecosystems in which we inhale lot of air and can keep it in liver is not lobed. The gall bladder live. These innocent victims of our the lung for a long time. Food gut or and the pancreas are at the rear ignorance about their important role esophagus is also long, thin-walled part of the liver. Some organs are in the control of rodents and insects and without any muscles. The prey missing in snakes, such as legs, and as part of food chain are at the is not chewed but swallowed head ears, movable eye-lids, nictitating top of the list of designated enemy first. It is pushed into the esophagus membrane, muscles of the eye-balls species assumed by us. This brief by the forward and backward and urinary bladder. article is intended to provide basic movements of