Animals and wildlife

Experts emphasize the need for community involvement and habitat protection to ensure the project’s success. Local communities around Kuno have been engaged through awareness programs, highlighting the economic benefits of eco-tourism that cheetahs could bring.

Challenges remain, including funding constraints and implementation hurdles in remote areas. However, the commitment from top leadership signals optimism.

While the Sindh High Court’s directive to curb illicit trade is a step forward, conservationists stress community education and stricter monitoring of markets and borders. They say that without these steps, Pakistan risks losing its rich avian diversity, from parrots to migratory geese, to greed and negligence.

Horton’s final plea is therefore both scientific and moral: acknowledge the scale of the last disaster, confront the uncomfortable truths about how we live on this planet, and act before the next inevitable outbreak becomes the one we cannot contain.

The gulper shark controversy in the Maldives encapsulates a broader global tension: how to steward oceanic biodiversity amid competing economic interests. For a nation once celebrated as a conservation pioneer, the unfolding debate raises hard questions about identity, priorities and legacy.

Experts say the warning signs are unmistakable: without decisive intervention, Pakistan’s bears could slip irreversibly toward extinction, marking a profound loss not only for biodiversity but also for the ecological balance of the region.

The roots of this epidemic trace back to a cultural fascination among Pakistan’s elite, where lions and tigers serve as status symbols – often paraded on social media or at events.

As India battles the latest Nipah virus cluster, health officials emphasise that vigilance, rapid response, and public cooperation will be critical to preventing a larger outbreak.