Pakistan floods, fighting destroy wildlife

[Barrett808]

KUND, Pakistan — Disaster struck out of nowhere. The flash floods were so sudden that wardens at one of Pakistan's most famed parks could do nothing to save their animals.

Leopards, deer and bears all drowned as the murky waters quickly engulfed them.

Kund park, a tourist spot located where the Kabul and Indus rivers meet 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Islamabad, lost all its wildlife including 100 endangered species in this year's flood crisis.

It was the worst single natural destruction of wildlife in Pakistan, where experts say the floods, military offensives against the Taliban and spreading militancy threaten natural habitats and species, some of them already endangered.

"Floods destroyed everything. It killed all the animals and species in this park. It was a great loss to wildlife," said Mumtaz Malik, formerly the top wildlife official in northwest Pakistan.

"None of them were rescued. Nobody expected such a catastrophe." ...

Pakistan floods, fighting destroy wildlife