KARACHI: Governor of Sindh has signed the new wildlife protection legislation into an act of law, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
The legislation was passed by the Sindh Assembly in previous month and sent it to the governor for signing it into an act of law.
Under the new law, any person posting pictures of hunted animals and birds on social media can be sent to jail for six months.
Sindh Wildlife Department will investigate concerned cyber-crime cases with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Bill, 2020 aims to enhance protection for wildlife.
Any person keeping wild animals without any permit or licence will be awarded six months sentence, under the law. The law also prohibit illegal sale and purchase of birds at shops and markets without licence.
The new legislation has wider coverage, protecting even those wild animals that enter Sindh via trans-boundary migration or as a result of human activity.
“All wild animals, from a common crow to a turtle or other exotic species, are protected now,” stated Sindh Wildlife Department conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar.
The new law, authorised wildlife inspectors to register FIRs against persons charged with wildlife criminal offences.
Under the new law all acts hurting wild animals, whether intentionally or unintentionally, amount to cruelty and are strictly prohibited. It further prohibits the use of wild animals for fighting and baiting.
As per the law, people using undersized cages and enclosures, which cause discomfort to animals, for handling and transporting wild animals will also be dealt with strongly.
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