Smuggling bid foiled: Wildlife department officials rescue four falcons

The birds were rescued from a Karachi-bound bus.

KARACHI: Wildlife officials have rescued four juvenile falcons from a passenger on Karachi-bound bus, near the Hyderabad Toll Plaza on Sunday evening.

A team of the Sindh Wildlife department received a tip-off about a consignment of falcons that was coming from Peshawar. During the search of different vehicles, the officials discovered the four male falcons in this particular bus that was coming from Sanghar.

The passenger, Chanesar Laghari, was carrying all the birds in a big plastic bag. Fortunately, none of the birds were injured during the journey. "All the birds were in good condition," said the wildlife department's deputy conservator, Ghulam Mohammad Gadani.

Laghari was fined Rs20,000 for transporting the seasonal birds from one area to another. During the investigation, Laghari admitted that he was to hand over the birds to a man in Karachi. Officials believe that Leghari could be part of a network of smugglers. He did not disclose where he got birds from but it is believed they were caught from Tharparkar.

All the birds were set free near Super Highway within a few hours as the officials do not have the facilities to hold them for a few days. Unfortunately, the team could not catch the consignment that was coming in from Peshawar.

The falcon is a migratory bird and is usually found near freshwater lakes and in the hilly areas of Sindh in the season when several species of migratory birds visit Pakistan from Siberia and other countries.

These birds are of immense value and may be sold in the black market for hundreds of thousands of rupees.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.