The wildlife department only issues licenses for partridge, quail, peacocks and deer to individuals and groups for mini (private) zoos under prescribed circumstances, Conservator, Sindh Wildlife Department, Hussain Bux Bhaagat told Kolachi. Local birds, which do not fall under the category of 'protected animals,' can be kept without any license if they are not in large numbers. However, if the authority concerned finds that a person is violating the law, the department can take action against the accused, he said.

Meanwhile, the import of all big cats, including lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, pumas and others, is banned under the law of the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW), Ministry of Environment, in Pakistan, and individuals cannot keep any of them at all. Similarly, the department does not allow individuals to keep birds for prey, such as falcons, he also said.

According to Bhaagat, persons can keep exotic birds without license but the condition is that they will not use those birds for trading. If anyone is interested in keeping such birds for commercial purposes, then they should obtain a commercial license, he further said.

Animal lovers and genuine breeders of certain birds, however, have their own complaints. "The wildlife department has double standards. They issue licenses to foreigners, especially people of Arab origin, to bring their falcons or other birds for hunting purposes to Pakistan but the department does not issue licenses to locals. This is despite that fact that a majority of people who like falcons are not interested in using the birds for hunting," a person, who wished anonymity, said.

He added that hunting birds are not tame by nature. An owner must invest lot of time with his bird to build a relation of trust with them. At least six months to a year is required to train these birds, after that falcons can adjust to their adopted environment, he further said. According to him, he had around seven to eight falcons but now he just has three.

Another major problem is that there is dearth of standard medical facilities. "We do not have any falcon specialist in the country. Almost 90 per cent of veterinary surgeons use alternative methods to treat ill falcons and the remaining percentage of vets diagnose and give medical care according to shared knowledge," he said.

Due to such reasons, many people have given up this hobby, he added. Falcons are not a common bird and usually people cannot differentiate between inferior and superior types of falcons. Gullible people can easily be made fools by people doing business in Empress Market, Saddar, he told Kolachi.

There are many unscrupulous animal salesmen in the vicinity of Saddar, especially in the Empress Market area. They have low-grade falcons or they sell peregrines (Bhari), Laggar Falcon, Saker Falcon (Cherrug or Churgh) as superior varieties of falcons to their buyers, he added.

The overall scenario in Empress Market is pathetic. All birds and animals are kept in small, suffocating cages while there is no concept of cleanliness in the entire market. Most of the birds and animals are sick and no medial facility is available to them.

They also sell the black kite, eagles (uqaab) to customers. These birds are no match for falcons but a customer with scant knowledge about birds for prey can easily be deceived by a cunning shopkeeper, the falcon breeder added. "Shikra, a kind of hawk, is a native bird of India and Pakistan while Batoor is another uncommon local name for hawk. People also call falcons Shaheen and Baaz," he said.

During a visit to the Empress Market, Kolachi witnessed that while the shopkeepers were selling a mongoose for Rs 300 and onwards, the price of a bird, which according to them was a falcon (Churgh), started from Rs3,500. A baby hawk was available for Rs1,000 and the common monkey was on sale at Rs 850 to Rs 1,200, Kolachi learnt.

If the authorities concerned issue licenses for keeping falcons then they could also inspect the conditions of the bird and the environment in which birds are kept by the owners. It would be easy for the officials to keep the database of such birds, Waris, another falcon owner, said.

He further said that usually serious owners trade falcons with each other and share information about the bird through word of mouth. They often release ill birds into the sky in the outskirts of the city. "We buy weak and sick falcons from Empress Market and let them free. We cannot bear to see them dying in such terrible condition in the market," he said.

The mafia of the market is so powerful and they have made many hideouts near the main market, where they keep prohibited breeds of birds and animals. These species are for sale to buyers who have come through some reliable party, Kolachi further learnt.

Bhaagat admitted that individuals and group of people are violating rules and regulations by keeping protected and endangered animals as well as banned species. The person who owns such bird or animals could be fine by the department, he said.

"Last year, the wildlife department carried out raids in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur and recovered 46 falcons and prior to that year, we had confiscated 49 such birds from the possession of different people who were also fined by the department. All these birds were released," he told Kolachi.

There are two types of fines imposed. One is the compensation, which is imposed on violation of the law. The department could impose fines of up to Rs 50,000 under the sections of this law. In other case(s), if a person is found responsible for keeping an unlicensed bird, the department can the bird into their custody. If the owner wants his pet back in his custody, then he has to pay compensation, apply for the license as well as pay the value of the bird to the department, he said.

The department has decided that no dealers' license would now be issued to anyone. A majority of businessmen in Empress Market are found involved in illegal trade in animals and the department had made various raids to recover illegal birds and animals from them. Owing to the fact that staff has no weapons, they often face serious problems during raids, he further said.

Recently, the wildlife department conducted raids at the market and recovered many protected and banned species. However, staff was beaten up by the shopkeepers of the market, who also snatched birds and animals which were recovered during the raid. It was not first time that the officials were roughed up. The staff has lodged an FIR against them but no arrest has been made so far, he added.

Replying to a query, he said that a 'special permit' is issued for hunting to foreigners. They bring their birds along with them for the hunting seasons and the department makes sure that visitors have correctly declared the quantity of birds brought into the country.

A close relative of former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, had recently illegally imported leopards for his farmhouses located in Raiwind. A few years back, a local businessman brought a pair of tigers illegally. The wildlife department had retained those animals but the person managed to get back his prized possession and later on, the issue became a court matter, he also said.

 As per NCCW instructions, trade in big cats is illegal and these animals have been declared protected animals, Bhaagat said. "We have common and snow leopards as well as black and brown bears as native animals," he further said. The stakeholders and concerned departments are interested in the continuation of the ban on big cats. It should remain active till the procedure of checks and balances is not introduced," Bhaagat added.

 He admitted that the department had no database available about the presence of big cats, reptiles like crocodiles, and other animals like bears at private zoos. The staff of the wildlife department will soon start a survey and distribute forms among the owners of private zoos to collect information in this regard, he stated.

When one thinks of wildlife in Karachi, the first place that comes to mind is the Karachi Zoo, or Gandhi Gardens as it is still popularly known. The zoo has entertained generations of children to this day despite the fact that many of the old animals have died and many categories of beasts are no longer on display. But despite its dwindling animal population, the zoo still remains popular. But apart from the Karachi Zoo and Safari Park, which is also home to a number of animals, there is a growing trend of keeping wild animals as pets in homes and on personal farm houses. And the list of creatures in private captivity stretches from the wildest of reptiles to carnivores such as lions.

Feeding a couple of wild parrots and walking around the a small space surrounded by cages, Saleem Baloch is into the business of taming animals and selling them as pets for more then 15 years. Starting off as a poor shepherd roaming the hills of the interior of Sindh and Balochistan, Saleem is now a prosperous supplier of wild animals to an ever-growing list of elite clients. Saleem is pretty content with what he is doing and continues to provide any animal that the customer demands. If not available from within the country, he imports them; all one needs to do is provide the required amount of money which is not fixed at all.

Baloch has an encyclopedic knowledge about wildlife and explained to Kolachi the special features and habits of every animal and bird he has sold and why they are so expensive. From a baby deer and a rooster playing in one cage to ostriches, he claimed that all the animals were harmless and could be kept as pets. But beyond this pet shop where the wildest animal is a pit-bull, lies a kingdom of more exotic and often deadly wild animals that Saleem has to offer.

"I can provide the customer with whatever animal he wants, be it an innocent tortoise or the wildest of cats. I just need an order in advance," Saleem enlightened.

Saleem runs a huge farm house located a few kilometers from the city on the outskirts of Malir where he manages the mini zoo of a senior political figure. According to him, that farm house has a lion, cheetah, llama and a number of wild animals which include jackals and foxes to name only a few.

 "The animals present in the farm house cost a total of more than 50 crores as they have been properly taken care of and are one of a kind. The cost of keeping them alive and in good health in a bad climate like Karachi's just keeps on increasing," told Saleem. However, he believes that if a person is willing to pay and is dedicated to taming wild animals any beast can be tamed.

According to Saleem, the trend of keeping wild animals in Sindh is not as popular as in the Punjab but it is increasing with time. Keeping such animals is a sign of pride and a status symbol, he explained. He remembers one of the finest animals that he tamed. "It was the tiger that was used in the 2008 elections to campaign for Nawaz Sharif. I tamed that tiger, and we roamed around the streets of Karachi for several hours with it. I am proud to have tamed it," Saleem shared.

It is unwise for people who don't have extremely large spaces at home to keep big wild animals, such as any creature from the big cat family and even wild deer. Such animals require a small world of their own to thrive in. However, an increasing number of people are doing just that. "Lately people have been meeting me and asking for baby wolves, jackals, foxes. They consider it fun to tame them and watch them grow up. But once they reach adulthood these people sell the animals to private parties or give them away to zoos." Saleem disapproves of this trend. "I don't like this kind of attitude towards animals. If you really want a wild pet, then own it for life."

Another recent trend is the keeping of reptiles. Reptiles are a relatively easy catch and they are available throughout Sindh and Balochistan in great variety. "Recently someone asked me for a baby crocodile so I got it from interior in a couple of days.  But I just charged Rs. 8,000 for it because there was less effort and legwork involved. Similar is the case with snakes. They are easily available so we don't charge much for them," he informed.

The most readily available wild animals in Sindh and Balochistan include markhors (wild goat) and the wild cat, which is a sister breed of the tiger and has the capacity to eat up a whole animal but doesn't look like a carnivore at all. Other animals include pangolins (better known as Goh) in local terms, which is from the family of anteaters. According to Saleem, it is murdaar and doesn't hunt and feeds mostly on insects therefore it doesn't have any demands at all.

–Name has been changed to retain privacy

Once a couple paid a visit to a veterinary surgeon for a check-up of their pet lion's cub. The curious vet immediately inquired why they are taking the risk of keeping a wild animal at home, which in a year it will be fully grown. They would ultimately end up either sending it to a zoo or selling it. The response of the couple flabbergasted the vet. "It will take a year for this cat to cause any serious damage. Until then, we will keep it. The rest we will see later," they had calmly replied.

While sharing the incident, Dr Isma Gheewala, a known veterinary surgeon at the Animal Care Centre in Karachi, explained how immature people can be for not considering the pros and cons of keeping a wild animal at home. "They don't think about it in the long-run. They keep the animal just for transitory fun. I even warned them that it is not wise to keep one as neither can the cat be de-clawed nor their teeth can be pulled out for safety purposes. Also, once they are fully-grown, they become so powerful that even if, somehow, they are de-clawed they can brutally knock down a person. Nevertheless, they were adamant about keeping one," said Dr Isma. The vet has not only been treating pet animals but wild ones too, such as lion cubs, wild cats, turtles, tortoises, wild monkeys, chimpanzees, falcons, baby crocodiles and deer for more than a decade now.

The health issues that are most common among these wild animals are skin infections among snakes, fractures and state of trauma due to seizure among wild birds and eye infection among turtles. But the root cause of all these health concerns is environmental stress, according to Dr Zulfiqar Haider Otho, who has treated a number of wild animals at the Karachi Animal Hospital. He said, "Most of the problems that these animals endure are due to environmental stress. Since the animals don't get to live in a natural environment, they suffer. This in turn attracts various infections and disorders. We can say that this stress is an open invitation to any disorder in a wild animal. Therefore, the required setting should be made available to them if better health is demanded."

The same point is endorsed by Dr Isma who explained that people do not work out the real idea of keeping a wild animal. She said that keeping a wild animal at one's residence is in vogue these days as it has become a status symbol for people now. "In an attempt to follow the trend of one's social circle, people keep exotic wild animals as pets. They have no special emotional attachment to the poor things."

She further added, "One needs to understand that wild animals are prone to their own environment, such as wide open spaces. They need this for their survival. But, here, we keep those wild animals as pets at home which cannot even be tamed at any point. According to her, they treat wild animals rather like they treat ordinary pets, which is absolutely wrong. "We need to value the difference. A piece of land of either 500 or 1000 square yards is certainly insufficient for wild animals such as lions and cheetahs, which are used to roaming no less than five to six kilometers per day. They cannot be confined to one place. This is tantamount to maltreatment towards them as they need to exercise somewhere."

The most frequent case that Dr Isma encounters while treating wild animals is of deer that are sensitive to excessive sounds. "In most cases that I treat, the deer is usually injured due to fright. The animal tends to panic and get injured either by banging themselves against the wall or jumping too hard and injuring their legs. As a consequence, they should not be kept in residential areas. Even a minor honk from a car can terrorize them," she informed Kolachi.

Dr Isma puts great emphasis on keeping wild animals in their natural environment for the sake of their health. She suggests that wild animal lovers should conduct in-depth research before deciding to keep them. A through study of their eating habits, sleep and behaviour patterns, mating seasons and their levels of aggressiveness is absolutely necessary. "A cheetah, for example, makes very loud sounds while mating which can be very distressing in a residential area. Additionally, one has to be particularly cautious about rabies," said Dr Isma.

Rabies is a deadly disease that could be transmitted from an animal to a human being. Dr Zulfiqar pointed out that dogs, foxes and bats are the chief carriers of the disease. "Rabies is a viral disease which is transmitted from a rabid animal to humans due to an animal bite. The virus then travels through nerves affecting the human brain resulting in paralysis of facial muscles. Once it affects the nervous system it becomes fatal and incurable." This is what happens to the victim, whereas, the rabid animal becomes hydrophobic in addition to a change in level of aggressiveness," says Dr Zulfiqar who additionally commented that the duration of survival of a rabies victim varies from six days to six months depending on the place of attack on the human body. "The closer the attack is to the nervous system, the more fatal it becomes. Therefore, a rabies victim needs to be vaccinated before the virus reaches the nervous system. Moreover, any animal for kept at home should be vaccinated once a year to prevent rabies." When it comes to availability of vaccines he confirms that there is no such problem of non-availability.

Keeping a wild animal should be accompanied with the right attitude of the owner. The most common wild animals kept by private owners here are falcon, eagle, owls, turtles, tortoise, deer, monitor lizard, wild hamster, snake, fox, jackal, baby crocodile, lion and cheetah cubs as confirmed by both the veterinarian surgeons, Dr Zulfiqar and Dr Isma. They both also agree that the attitude toward these animals is really not positive. "People only care when the animal is new to the family and pays frequent visits to the vet to make sure that the animal is doing well. But with the passage of time, they lose the sense of care," noted Dr Isma in a firm tone.