Vlogger gets community service for possessing lion cub
Lahore, Jan 24: A Pakistani court has awarded community service for a year to a popular vlogger for unlawfully possessing a lion cub.
Special Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Rehman Nasir on Thursday convicted Rajab Ali Butt for possessing a lion cub without any proper license or permit.
“Rajab Ali Butt will record a video in the form of a vlog with dedicated content on the animal’s rights for a full five minutes in the first week of every month for a full one year starting from February 2025 to January 2026,” Magistrate Nasir said in his verdict.
Under the law, a person having a lion cub without license may face imprisonment up to two years or a minimum fine of PKR 10,000 and maximum PKR 15,000, or both. The magistrate said in his order that the convict admitted his guilt, expressed remorse over his action and voluntarily pleaded that he be given a chance to do community service over his action. The court ordered the handover of the lion cub to the Lahore Wildlife Safari Zoo. (PTI)
Indonesia showcases returned artifacts from Netherlands
Jakarta, Jan 24: Centuries-old stone Buddha statues and precious jewelleries repatriated by the Dutch government to its former colony are on display at Indonesia’s National Museum, providing a glimpse into the country’s rich heritage that the government had struggled to retrieve.
The collection is part of more than 800 artifacts that were returned under a Repatriation Agreement signed in 2022 between Indonesia and the Netherlands, said Gunawan, the museum’s head of cultural heritage. The objects are not just those looted in conflict, but also seized by scientists and missionaries or smuggled by mercenaries during the four centuries of colonial rule. “I was so amazed that we have all of these artifacts,” said Shaloom Azura, a visitor to the museum in Jakarta. She hoped other historical objects can be repatriated too, “so we don’t have to go to the Netherlands just to see our own cultural heritage”.
The agreement to return cultural objects was inspired by the new era of global restitution and repatriation efforts. (AP)
Australia Day drone shows delayed due to risk to threatened bats
Canberra, Jan 24: Planned drone shows to celebrate Australia Day in the nation’s capital have had their start time pushed back to prevent harm to a population of threatened bats.
The population of about 2,500 grey-headed flying foxes — an endemic species listed as vulnerable to extinction by the federal government — live in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin between October and June.
Each night at around 8:45 pm local time, the bats leave the park en masse to feed on fruit.
That nightly phenomenon has prompted authorities to delay the drone shows over the lake due to concerns for the welfare of the bats.
The first show in 2024 was delayed from its scheduled start time of 8:30 pm local time because there were too many flying foxes in the air.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Wildlife warned that a significant number of drones in the path of the bats could be dangerous.
Stephen Barton from ACT Wildlife told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday that spectators reported seeing flying foxes hit drones during the 2024 shows but that no bats were killed. (IANS)