The Punjab Wildlife Department on has constituted mobile teams to launch a vigorous campaign against poachers to preserve the national wildlife throughout the province.
Punjab Wildlife and Parks Director-General Mohammad Tariq Ayub told APP here on Sunday that heavy penalty would be imposed on poachers besides, registration of criminal cases against them irrespective of their political or social status, adding all the deputy and assistant directors and other wildlife staff had been directed to take to task all the poachers.
He said that more than 60 check-posts had been set up in various parts of the province, adding necessary staff has also been deployed at these posts to check the movements of the suspects.
He said special magistrates were also being posted at the divisional level to award deterrent punishments to culprits to discourage the ever increasing tendency of indiscriminate hunting of rare species of animals.
Tariq Ayub said only limited hunting is allowed under special permits during the hunting season to save the eco-balance, adding the night hunting and netting of all animals and birds had already been banned in the entire province.
He said that guns, ammunition, vehicles and other paraphernalia from the poachers would be seized besides, heavy fine.
Tariq Ayub said the industrial revolution had brought about a large scale destruction of natural habitat, and added that in spite of large scale destruction and indiscriminate hunting, Pakistan still has a great variety of wild life.
He also said that wildlife parks-cum-breeding centres are playing a key-role in the preservation and captive breeding of indigenous and exotic wildlife species, and also providing recreational facilities to public. Punjab Headquarters Deputy Director Agha Aizaz Ibrahim will monitor the performance.