Siberian cranes face grave risk

Letter March 26, 2017
I request the authorities concerned to take credible steps against such ruthless poaching

ZHOB: Siberian cranes are being ruthlessly hunted in Balochistan’s Zhob Valley. The cranes are a rather fetching species. They flock to the valley after flying thousands of kilometres from Siberia and then return to their nesting grounds in March and April. But unfortunately the cranes have to face different challenges here. A number of hunters either trap or shoot them down in droves. Though local inhabitants, it must be admitted, have turned to unlawfully hunting the Siberian cranes in recent times, the majority of the hunters belong to Laki Marwat, Bannu and Tank of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa . Due to increased victimisation, the population of these migratory birds has decreased by almost 50 pc during last 15 years, according  to a study conducted a few years ago. When this writer visited one of the camps set up by K-P hunters in the River Zhob near Huramzi village, at least 200 cranes were found trapped on a single night. The Balochistan government imposes a ban on such poaching every year but these measures are routinely violated by K-P’s hunters. I request the authorities concerned and Zhob’s administration, in particular, to take credible steps against such ruthless poaching

M Hussain Hunarmal

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2017.

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