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Customs dept ‘detains’ rare white tigers in Lahore zoo
By Bhagwandas The traffickers, who operate from their Karachi residence, smuggled in four white tigers then sold two of the them to the Lahore zoo with the assistance of a Lahore-based party.—White Star KARACHI: The federal government has finally begun to speed up efforts to close in on the wildlife traffickers who had sneaked rare white tigers into the country, as two of the animals have now been ‘detained.’ According to sources, the federal environment ministry has cancelled the NOC that it had issued to the Lahore zoo/animal importer a few days ago. The NOC was being used to regularise the white tigers’ entry into the country about four months ago. Trans-boundary movement of rare species, including white tigers, is controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and permissions/NOCs are to be obtained from both the importing and exporting countries before actually relocating the animals from one place to another. It may be recalled that four rare white tigers were brought into the country through the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore from Indonesia without the mandatory permission, which has to be issued from the Islamabad-based National Council for Conservation of Wildlife. Without the permission, the status of tigers went from being ‘imported,’ to being ‘smuggled.’ The traffickers, who operate from their Karachi residence, then sold two of the tigers to the Lahore zoo with the assistance of a Lahore-based party. Attempting to regularise the status of the tigers that had already been imported, the Lahore zoo then approached the NCCW for permission to have two white tigers imported, without informing the federal government department that the animals in question had already been delivered to the zoo. Meanwhile, the media exposed the wildlife trafficking scam and the Lahore zoo’s complicity in the trafficking. The NCCW then stopped the NOC-issuing process and ordered an inquiry into the issue. When the Customs department in Lahore came to know of the case through the media, they also began their own inquiry, which is still in progress. With the issue still being investigated, the Lahore Zoo then bypassed the Punjab Wildlife Department, in contravention of the established procedure, and directly approached the NCCW, with the help of a senior federal environment ministry official, for an NOC for two white tigers on May 2, 2009. The NOC thus issued, however, clearly stated that it was only valid from the date of issue onwards. When the PWD came to know of the existence of this NOC, it immediately expressed its reservations to the NCCW, which offered to withdraw the NOC on the PWD’s objections. Sources say that in the meantime, the trafficker, supported by the Lahore zoo, once again attempted to mislead the customs department by submitting the May 2, 2009 NOC issued by the NCCW in order to ‘regularise’ the ‘import’ of the tigers in February. On May 29, 2009, the traffickers plans were exposed by the media, and the NCCW cancelled the NOC on the very same day. Responding to Dawn’s queries, PWD deputy director Agha Aziz said the department received a letter from the NCCW stating the May 2, 2009, NOC issued to the Lahore zoo for the import of two white tigers has been withdrawn. A top NCCW official told Dawn that the NOC was cancelled after reservations were expressed by the PWD on the matter.Responding to Dawn’s queries, the newly posted Lahore zoo director, Zafar Shah, confirmed that customs intelligence officers visited the zoo in the morning and ‘detained the white tigers.’ The tigers remain in the Lahore Zoo, but are ‘in the custody’ of the Customs department. He said Customs official had informed Lahore zoo staff that the papers submitted for the clearance of the tigers were ‘not genuine and authentic,’ and that was why the tigers were being ‘detained.’ Mr Shah was posted as director of the Lahore zoo to replace Yusuf Pal, who is facing an inquiry related to the import of the white tigers and has since been transferred. DAWN: Wednesday, 03 Jun, 2009
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