According to Fahad Malik, he came to know that these owls were sent to Lahore by a smuggler from Balochistan. (Photo: Fahad Malik)
To straighten your owl and on every branch an owl is sitting, we hear many such proverbs in everyday language. Generally, the dull-minded and stupid are compared with the owl, but in Western countries it is considered a symbol of wisdom and wisdom.
A young man from Lahore is busy rescuing owls and other local birds and animals regardless of these proverbs.
Fahad Malik has been working to rescue and spread awareness about local birds and animals of Pakistan for a long time.
Just yesterday, with the help of his friends, he rescued two owls of a rare breed from the clutches of smugglers who were smuggled from Balochistan and brought to Lahore. According to the Wildlife Department, these owls are used in witchcraft.
Fahad Malik is the founder of Mission Awareness Foundation. They stay in touch with local people across Pakistan through social media and phone calls.
According to him, last day he received a phone call from one of his friends who was telling about an owl.
Talking to Urdu News, he said that ‘We keep running campaigns related to local animals and birds on social media. Hamid of Lahore also does similar work. Hamid contacted me and told me that he had freed two owls from the clutches of smugglers. On reaching them, it was found that these are two separate and rare species of owls, one of which was a Bengali Indian species and the other was a Eurasian Eagle Owl. Both these owls are considered to be native birds of Pakistan.‘
According to Fahad Malik, he came to know that these owls were sent to Lahore by a smuggler from Balochistan.
There are many smugglers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas including Balochistan who do not know about these birds. Thus, they sell these birds to enthusiasts in Lahore at high prices.‘
These owls were sent by the smugglers from Balochistan to a local person in Lahore, but the buyer later refused and this was reported to Hamid, after which Hamid contacted Fahad.
Fahad Malik said that ‘My friend Hamid bought these owls after paying the money. Now we will decide their future after contacting the experts and checking their health.‘
He said that after receiving the final opinion regarding the health of these owls, they will be released voluntarily.
The founder of Mission Awareness Foundation said that these owls are native to Pakistan and like to live in dense forests.
He said that their habitat is dense forests as well as rocky areas. During the day they hide in bushes or rocks while at night they fly in the air.
Fahad Malik said that ‘one of these owls is known as the Indian Eagle-Owl because before partition, the British used to name animals and birds according to the region. Hence they are also prefixed with Indian or Bengali. Now Pakistan is separated but their name is the same as given by the British.‘
According to Tanveer Janjua, Deputy Director of Wildlife Department, Lahore Division, these types of owls are usually used for magic.
He told Urdu News that ‘enthusiasts can also keep these owls, but usually when they are smuggled, they are feared to be used for witchcraft. Some people even use their blood for magic.‘
On the other hand, Fahad Malik further said that the presence of these owls in the environment is very important in harmony with nature.
“These owls are often targeted by crows, but their presence in our environment is very important. They are considered enemies of rats. They play a major role in controlling rodent populations in our environment. But it is often seen that they either die of thirst or are captured by smugglers, which affects the natural system.‘
According to Tanveer Janjua, the wildlife department is taking action to crack down on such smugglers. A procedure has been devised by the department whereby you can export or import animals and birds but when they are smuggled, the smugglers are caught and booked.‘
Like the rest of the country, many non-governmental organizations and youths are engaged in rescuing animals and birds in Punjab.‘
He said that it is our good fortune that common people are also voluntarily raising awareness in this regard. These people are also in touch with the department and sometimes we collaborate with them to ensure the protection of local birds and animals and to educate the public.
