Wildlife Department Facilitation

Together with the Wildlife Departments of Sindh, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, HRF has agreed to facilitate their habitat protection initiatives with logistical and equipment expertise. As part of this collaboration, HRF has provided travel gear to the field staff working on wildlife conservation in different regions of the country. This gear includes animal-safe kits, crackers, oxygen cylinders and oximeters, other first-aid items and tents for individuals and families. These items are provided for the benefit of staff, tourists as well as settlers in wildlife-rich areas of Pakistan.

Indus River Dolphin Conservation

In 2017, HRF facilitated the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on their census of the blind dolphin, a species that is unique to the Indus River in Sindh. The Indus River Dolphin are endangered, as they have been subject to poaching and habitat destruction over the years. As per this project, HRF provided WWF with logistical support for conducting population and well-being surveys of the Indus River Dolphin population.

Common Leopard Vaccination Drives

Pakistan’s national parks are large wildernesses that provide protective environments for species of animals and plants to exist freely. At Ayubia National Park, HRF has assisted the KP Wildlife Department in the transportation of the Common Leopard population between Ayubia and Abbottabad during seasonal changes.

During the harsh winter season, the common leopard faces a food shortage as most of its natural prey hibernates. Therefore, the Wildlife Department transports the common leopard populace to the lower altitudes of Abbottabad where they can still find prey. To facilitate this transport, HRF has donated cages, stretchers, safety nets, and tranquilizer injections to the Wildlife Department.

Alongside this, HRF has also donated crackers to the Wildlife Department which are provided to villagers in Abbottabad and Ayubia. Their livestock is under-threat of leopard attacks when their natural prey hibernates. In the past, leopard attacks have caused villagers to harm the animal. Crackers are a failsafe, humane measure that drive leopards away from human settlements, thus avoiding this issue and protecting the habitat and population of the common leopard in this region.