Karachi:
The floods of Pakistan, among the most mortal in the recent history of the country, swept villages, submerged cultivation land and forced more than 2 million people from their homes, mainly in the province of the northeast of Punjab.
The consequences, however, are not limited to humans. The catastrophic flood has also devastated the already fragile wildlife of the country.
“Whole habitats have been submerged, which cover everything, from thickets and grassland forests to critical wetlands that act as wildlife sanctuaries,” Rafiul Haq, an ecologist based in Karachi, told Anadolu Rafiul Haqul.
The displaced jackets, the wild boars, the antÃlope chinkara and even the elusive cats of the jungle are now venturing into villages in search of food and shelter, he added.
Such encounters bring new dangers. The studies show that the human-wildlife conflict increases sharply after floods, and Pakistan is no exception.
“The rural areas, now loaded with displaced and omnivorous carnivores, are witnessing an increase in attacks against cattle, including goats, sheep and poultry, which leads to retaliation murders that threaten to push the rare species towards extinction,” said Haq.
Uzma Khan, a specialist in wildlife with the WWF-Pakistan, said fragmented habitats are weakening the resilience of local ecosystems, leaving the most vulnerable wildlife populations to conflicts with humans.
“Numerous snakes have entered communities in recent days,” he said. “Many were rescued, but some, including Pythons, were killed.”
He warned that floods can also cause disease outbreaks in cattle that are shed in wild populations. Stagnant water, he said, provides reproduction footwear for insects that spread infections.
“This requires close monitoring and vaccination of cattle to reduce the risk of shoots,” he added.
The animals swept the borders
The waters of the floods often have anointed such as Sambar deer and pork deer from the other side of the border in India to Pakistan, further striving the country’s stressed ecosystems.
“These deer, which include rare species from Chinkara, are usually injured after being beaten by rocks and trees in the rivers, and require adequate treatment before their release,” Kamran Bukhari, a main conservator of the Punjab Wildlife Department of Wildlife, and added that they are closely monitored.
So far this year, dozens of pork deer, who are classified as in danger of extinction, have been rescued, he added.
Altaf Ali Shah, an official of the Silvestre Department of Life in the northwest of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said that torrential rains and flood floods of glacial lakes (GLOF) have displaced the Himalaya Ibex in the Chitral district and have destroyed habitats for birds, rodents and reptiles.
Aquatic species are equally hit
Experts warn that the danger extends under the surface of the water. Fishing and aquatic biodiversity are also threatened since floods interrupt river systems and wetlands.
Pakistan’s endemic aquatic species, including the Indo River Dolphin, fresh water turtles and crocodiles, are at risk, Haq explained.
“The strong currents drag these creatures vulnerable to channels and irrigation distributors where the possibilities of survival are scarce,” he said. “Rescue teams often find dolphins stranded away from their river habitats, one of the recurring ecological tragedies of Pakistan.”
The Indo Dolphin, locally known as “Bhulan”, is almost exclusively in Pakistan. By living mainly in a stretch of 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) of the Indo River, the mammal in danger of extinction is functionally blind, trusting echolocation to navigate the muddy waters.
A related species lives in the Ganges and Brahmaputra systems of India, Bangladesh and Nepal, but the Indo Dolphin is genetically different and is considered one of the most endangered freshwater cetaceans in the world.
Haq urged more coordinated rescue and conservation efforts.
Floods also bring renewal
Despite the devastation, HAQ said that rains and floods carry a “dual nature”, sometimes increasing wildlife populations.
“The waters of floods respond life in arid areas,” he said. “Species like Chinkara Deer and wild cattle often find newly sprouted pastures at its doors after rains, potentially promoting their short -term populations.”
Scientific studies, he added, show that periodic floods increase primary productivity in grasslands and wetlands, causing herbivorous Auges and attracting migratory birds in greater numbers.
Uzma Khan of WWF-Pakistan agreed, noting that natural floods, although increasingly unpredictable under climate change, also rehabilitate habitats that support fishing, water birds and riverside species in danger of extinction such as deer.
“The most important necessary step is to protect the flood plains of human invasion,” he said.
“In addition to linking associated rivers and lakes, which not only help handle floods, but also create deposits that support communities, as well as wildlife such as water birds and fresh water turtles.”
She warned that land lease without control around wetlands and forests undermines natural defenses.
“Protecting forests is very crucial since they protect the land from the devastating impacts of sudden clouds and floods, which are increasing both frequently and in intensity due to climate change,” he said.
Haq said the long -term solution lies in creating wildlife runners, restoring habitats and adopting sustainable management of the flood plain.
“Without that, Pakistan runs the risk of losing crucial biodiversity and ecological security networks that support their natural heritage and, ultimately, its people,” he said.
