CHAKWAL: A gang of influential poachers who killed two urials in the hilly terrain of Salt Range near Pind Dadan Khan was busted and two slaughtered urials were also recovered from them by the personnel of Wildlife Department and patrolling police, official sources told Dawn on Monday.

The poachers identiñed as Asad Hayat Tiwana, Haider Saeed and Kashif Afzal from Lahore were assisted by three locals Amin, Saddique and Ishaque.

The illegal hunters were fined Rs500,000 by deputy director Salt Range Wildlife Protection Force Chaudhry Riaz Hussain as they preferred to pay fine instead of facing civil court.

`The main culprit Asad Hayat Tiwana who came for poaching along with his two accomplices had also been caught poaching urials three years ago,` a senior official of Wildlife Department told Dawn.

`We had information that they were operating in the area`, Chaudry Riaz Hussain said while talking to Dawn. He added that two full grown urials were killed by the poachers in the area of Pind Dadan Khan.

`Our team with the help of patrolling police managed to chase the poachers near Lillah Interchange who tried to run away in their car,` Mr Hussain maintained.

According to the law an arrested poacher is either presented in a civil court or fined by the department itself.

The breeding season of urial starts in April during which the poachers try to make the most of it as it is easy to catch fawns.

During this season thirteen fawns were recovered from different areas of Salt Range.

`We are trying our best to check poaching of Punjab urials which has been listed as endangered species,` said Chaudry Riaz Hussain.

Punjab urial is not found anywhere else in the world but only in the Salt Range. Although the animal has been declared as endangered one yet the good sign is that its population is increasing in the area and the credit goes to the Wildlife Department.

Every year, trophy hunting is held in the area in which only foreigners participate as one urial is fetched $17,000 which Pakistani hunters cannot afford and hence opt for poaching.