UO students conduct Pakistan’s biggest wildlife census

Okara (HRNW) More than 200 students of the University of Okara’s Institute of Pure & Applied Zoology (IPAZ), under the supervision of Prof Dr Muhammad Wajid, conducted a landmark census at the Muhammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Conservation Breeding Center, Lal Sohanra National Park Bahawalpur. The census was steered on the request of the Government of Punjab’s Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department.
The purpose of the census was to ascertain the number of Chinkara and Blackbuck deer at the 16 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide cage. According to Dr Wajid, it was the first ever attempt in the history of Pakistan to collect eye-sighted data on these species of deer.
Talking about the census and how it was conducted, Dr Wajid told, “The Wildlife Department wanted to gauge the progress of the deer breeding and research center in order to chalk out their future plans about the facility. Considering this, we involved 220 students and faculty members to conduct the census by walking through the cage.”
According to the report of the census, currently there are about 200 Chinkara and Blackbuk deer at Lal Sohanra National Park.
The FW&F Secretary, Shahid Zaman, appreciated the Dr Wajid and his team’s efforts for this census and vowed to engage them on other breeding facilities as well. The UO’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Muhammad Zakria Zakar, also lauded the IPAZ’s contribution to the wildlife research at the university and outside.