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Helmand environmental department opens new Zoo
Helmand Environmental Protection Department recently opened a newly-built Zoo in the city of Lashkargar, in southern Afghanistan, in a bid to preserve the country’s wildlife.
The Zoo, which reportedly cost US$600,000 to build, is now home to 52 species of animals and birds.
Zoo officials said that during 40 years of war in Afghanistan natural forests were destroyed, and the number of wild birds and wild animals have dwindled.
Officials said by establishing the zoo, they hope to be able to prevent the extinction of some local birds.
They have however appealed to the government to take the issue seriously and support their efforts to protect Afghanistan’s wildlife.
Helmand resident’s have welcomed the initiative and have also appealed to the government to provide the zoo with support.
Helmand Environmental Protection Department officials said however that when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in August 2021, the authorities banned deforestation, and the hunting of wild birds and wild animals.
These officials said that over the past three years they rescued dozens of wild animals that were held in captivity by members of the public. Most of these were released back into the wild.
Afghanistan has long been known for having diverse wildlife but many of the larger mammals in the country are categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as globally threatened.
These include the snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, Siberian musk deer, markhor, urial, and the Asiatic black bear.
Other species of concern are the ibex, the gray wolf, and the brown bear, striped hyenas, and numerous bird of prey species.
Most of the Marco Polo sheep and ibex are being poached for food, whereas wolves, snow leopards and bears are being killed for damage prevention
Snow leopards, Siberian tigers and brown bears live in the high elevation alpine tundra regions while the Marco Polo sheep exclusively live in the Wakhan Corridor region of north-east Afghanistan. Foxes, wolves, otters, deer, wild sheep, lynx and other big cats populate the mountain forest region of the east.
Pakistan on Friday summoned Afghan Deputy Head of Mission in Islamabad to convey “strong demarche” over a deadly attack on a military camp in North Waziristan District that killed four Pakistani soldiers.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack was carried out by a faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The statement said that Pakistan conveyed “grave concern over the continued support and facilitation” provided by the Islamic Emirate to TTP.
Pakistan has demanded “a full investigation and decisive action against the perpetrators and facilitators of the terrorist attacks launched against Pakistan from Afghan soil.”
It urged the Islamic Emirate “to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terror groups operating from its territory, including their leadership, and deny the continued use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.
According to the statement, the Islamic Emirate has been “categorically informed that Pakistan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, and will take all necessary measures to respond to terrorism originating from Afghan soil.”
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are originated from Afghan soil, a charge the Islamic Emirate denies.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has underscored Afghanistan’s continued importance in regional cooperation, saying the country remains one of the key areas of interaction among regional partners.
Addressing the first summit of the “Central Asia Plus Japan” dialogue, Mirziyoyev said participating countries share a common aspiration to see Afghanistan become peaceful, stable, and oriented toward meaningful development.
The Uzbek president praised Japan’s longstanding and consistent support for Afghanistan, noting that Tokyo has for many years been among the leading donors and partners assisting the Afghan people.
He expressed confidence that coordinated efforts and joint contributions by regional countries and Japan would help improve living standards in Afghanistan, advance socio-economic and infrastructure development, and facilitate the country’s active involvement in regional economic projects.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan announced on Friday that the country has allocated $19.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said it hopes the aid will help bring positive change to the lives of vulnerable Afghans.
According to the statement, the assistance will cover the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
The embassy added that the aid will be delivered through United Nations agencies, international organizations, and Japanese non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan.
Japan’s total assistance to Afghanistan since August 2021 has reached more than $549 million.
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