A new Punjab Wildlife Committee (PWC) has been formed for the management, monitoring, and conservation of bird homes and wildlife parks in Punjab. Previously, separate management committees were in charge of different bird homes and wildlife parks, but they have now been replaced by the PWC.
The head of PWC is the Director General Wildlife Punjab, and other members include representatives from the treasury department, planning and development, veterinary experts, and wildlife specialists.
The Deputy Director of Punjab Wildlife, Khawaja Junaid, explained that the establishment of the PWC will streamline the management and operation of all bird homes and wildlife parks in the province. This unified committee will oversee the procurement of animals and birds, purchase of feed, leasing of breeding farms, as well as issuance of licenses for animal and bird dealers, import, and export.
Additionally, the committee aims to create effective partnerships among animal and bird exchange programs to achieve better breeding results.
During the first meeting of the PWC in Lahore, various proposals were discussed, including an increase in entry ticket prices for bird homes and safari parks, development of Bahawalpur Bird House, expanding food courts in bird homes and safari parks, and opening Lahore Bird House and Safari Park for tourists. Other matters discussed were the expansion of enclosures and habitats for animals and birds, as well as the procedures for issuing import, export permits, dealer licenses, breeding farm licenses, and establishing a permanent office for PWC.
It was also suggested to increase bird home and safari park entry ticket prices and raise the fees for dealerships and breeding farm registrations. The registration and annual renewal fee for a shared breeding farm for animals and birds will be one hundred thousand rupees.
The meeting also recommended that a minimum area of ten acres is required for breeding farms, with a perimeter fence being mandatory. The registration and annual renewal fee for a shared breeding farm for animals and birds will be one hundred thousand rupees. Additionally, dealers selling and buying wild animals and birds will pay a fee of fifty thousand rupees, while the bird dealer license fee will be thirty thousand rupees.
It was proposed that a minimum area of twenty acres is required for a wildlife safari and the registration and annual fee will be two hundred thousand rupees.