Being smuggled out: Rare falcons’ trip to Kuwait cut short, freed in Pindi

This is the second smuggling attempt foiled in seven months.

ISLAMABAD:

An attempt to smuggle two rare falcons out of country was foiled and a Kuwaiti arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) on Thursday.

This is the second attempt to smuggle rare species of birds that was thwarted by the Punjab Wildlife Department and the Airport Security Force (ASF) in seven months.

Officials said the birds were taken into custody at around 5am, after the suspect, Muhammad Ammar, was stopped during security check.

The suspect, who was wearing a loose trouser, was boarding a Kuwait-bound plane when the authorities stopped him for inspection. They found the birds tied to his legs. The birds were smaller than the ones previously seized by the department, said an official.

The suspect was detained for a few hours for an inquiry, during which he claimed the birds had been gifted to him. However, he confessed to his crime when he was produced before a magistrate later. The court fined him Rs300,000, while the birds were set free at Ayub National Park on court orders.

According to Lohi Bher Wildlife Park Director Raja Javaid, each falcon has a market value of approximately Rs500,000.

Earlier in March, the same department had seized four falcons allegedly being smuggled in from the United Arab Emirates. According to sources, the birds cost between Rs8 million and Rs9 million and the department faced immense pressure from certain influential politicians and bureaucrats who wanted to add the rare birds to their personal collections.

Moreover, the wildlife department recovered 53 Siberian falcons while being smuggled to Qatar in October 2010. The suspects accompanying the birds, however, managed to escape.

In all cases, the birds were either being taken to or being brought in from the Middle East.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2012.