Wildlife of Pakistan - Otter Specialist Group

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Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012UPDATES ON WILDLIFE (NEWS & VIEWS)NEW RECORD FROM SINDHSmooth coated otter (Lutrogaleperspicillata) is a semi-aquaticmammal belonging to the OrderCarnivora and Family Mustellidae.It is known as “Oodh Balao” inUrdu language, “Ludhro” (singular)and “Ludhra” (plural) in Sindhilanguage, “Ludhar” in Punjabi and“Khuwarr Spay” in Pushto language.It inhabits freshwater wetlands,including canals, rivers, lakes etc.and tends to be very secretive andshy in nature. It is nocturnal in habitsbut social and gregarious. Its foodmainly (96%) consists of fish. It isLack of AwarenessAn unfortunate Smooth coated otterhad an accident with a motorbike ona road in Khairpur District of SindhProvince on January 4 th , 2012. Theotter was injured like the motorbikerider and was then taken by a groupof local hooligan boys. The boys tieda rope around the neck of the otterand dragged it through the streets inthe town claiming that they had gothold of a fearful creature. Finally, asa result of the cruel attitude of locals,lack of awareness about wild animalsand violation of animal rights, theinnocent otter died in a miserablecondition. Mr. Ghulam Muhammaddistributed in Punjab, Sindh and afew areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwanear DI Khan along Indus River.According to literature, (Roberts,2005), four cubs per litter arecommon among Smooth coatedotter and five in rare cases.However, more than five cubs perlitter have never been reportedamong Smooth coated otter. Duringa study in 2010 in Sindh Provincefunded by Indus For All Programmeof WWF Pakistan, six otter cubsper litter were found at two differentplaces; first near Jamrau Headworkin Khairpur District and secondly,Gadani, Deputy Conservatorof Wildlife, taking notice of theincident, warned the culprits and thecommunity elders took an oath onbehalf of the motorbike driver andso the matter was settled.around Chotiari Dam in DistrictSanghar. According to the localresidents, six otter cubs per litter isa common observation in the studyarea.This is not the first incident of animalrights violation but the one whichhas been highlighted. This incidentalso reflects the level of awarenessamong the local communitiesabout wildlife, their importance andecological role.WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN41Wolf Killed in AJKA Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) was killedby local community in Domail Balavillage, in Upper Neelum valley,AJK in October, 2011. Accordingto Mr. Usman Ali, a representativeof Breath Foundation, AJK the wolfcaused a damage of around Pak Rs.150,000/- by killing more than 25sheep and goats in the area duringtwo months.Wolves use to come down in theNeelum Valley during autumn(September) each year and goback to high altitudes in KarakorumMountain Ranges after spring(April) using the Deosai Plateau asa corridor. Local residents told thatthe killed wolf and its pack could notmigrate backward during April due toprolonged winter season last year.When these animals found plenty offood with fewer disturbances, theypreferred to stay here and the killedwolf dared to live in close proximityof villages and kept on huntinglivestock until October last yearwhen it was killed finally.
Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012UPDATES ON WILDLIFE (NEWS & VIEWS)WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN42Huge sized FreshwaterMussels (Nodulariapachysoma) found inChashma BarrageProf. Z B Mirza and his teamof Kinnaird College for WomenUniversity while studying theecological linkages of fauna andflora of Chashma Barrage pondarea under a WWF Pakistan fundedproject, found extraordinarily largesized Freshwater Mussels on 9 thFebruary 2012. These FreshwaterMussels are more than 19 cm longBaer’s Pochard (Aythyabaeri) sighted in ChashmaBarrageMr. Sakhawat Ali, a research scholarin Prof. Z. B. Mirza’s team whilestudying the ecological linkages offauna and flora of Chashma Barrageunder a WWF Pakistan fundedproject, sighted a Baer’s Pochard(Aythya baeri) along the easternflank of the Barrage on 9 th February2012. The Pochard was sighted inand 11 cm in width. Smaller sizedshells were greatly abundant. Theseinvertebrate animals belonging tothe Phylum Molluska are found inthe bottom mud of the ponds. Theyplay important role in the freshwater pond habitats by eating algae,zooplankton and organic waste. So,the middle of a sitting flock of overten thousand ducks which werebeing counted by him along with twoKinnaird College M. Phil. scholarsMs. Azubah and Ms. Kamni. Mrs.they convert organic matter intosimple nutrients and also decreasethe concentration of suspendedparticles from water through theirfiltration process. They are also partof the food of many types of fishesand birds. Their abundant presenceindicates the healthy pond waterhabitat of Chashma Barrage.Mirza also thoroughly watched itthrough the spotting scope fitted ona tripod. The Pochard was a maleand seemed molted to breedingplumage with black head and neckwhich blended into maroon-chestnutof the breast. This is a secondrecord of its occurrence in Pakistan.In 1957 a specimen was shot in apond area in district Gujrat by Brig.Haider. It is winter visitor to easternpart of India and other far easterncountries.Plumbeous Redstart(Rhyacornis fuliginosus)Sighted in ChashmaBarrageA Plumbeous Redstart (Rhyacornisfuliginosus) was sighted by Prof.Z. B. Mirza on 9 th February 2012 atthe reservoir on the eastern flankof Chashma Barrage at the fall ofan escape canal, which is beyondKundian towards Mianwali. TheRedstart was a solitary bird feedingon insects as it found at the edgeof the waterfall. Normally it is foundnear the mountain streams at highaltitudes in summer. In winter itdescends to lower altitude valleys.This winter, some birds dispersed tolong distances in the plains, perhapsdue to heavy snow fall even in thevalleys.Yellow-bellied FantailFlycatcher (Rhipidurahypoxantha) sightedMarch, 1998 in Malkandi forest ofKaghan valley.A Yellow-bellied Fantail Flycatcher(Rhipidura hypoxantha) was sightedin Margallah Hills National Park byProf. Z. B. Mirza during early summerin 2011 in Margallah Hills NationalPark between Monal restaurant andPir Sohawa. It was earlier recordedin winter 2010 in Margallah Hills andSialkot. It was also seen by him in
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Wildlife of Pakistan - Otter Specialist Group

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