A sharp decline in the population of ring-necked parrots
ISLAMABAD: Over the last decade, we have seen a sharp decline in the population of ring-necked parrots in Islamabad. This has been largely due to the poaching of these birds. They are caught and then sold in weekly bazaars. There has also been a massive trend of poaching of newborn parrots which are sold for Rs5,000 to Rs8,000 a pair. All these acts are done illegally and without the permission of any government or wildlife body. Almost a decade ago, Islamabad was full of parrots that were seen everywhere, adding to the beauty of our capital. Furthermore, they play a huge role in the overall environmental system.
The main hubs of such criminal acts are College Road and weekly bazaars in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
I would like to draw attention of the wildlife department and the government to this issue. The government should put an end to the illegal activity. We need to take steps to reverse the devastating impact of poaching on our ecosystem rather than aggravate it further. My suggestion for its improvement would be to form large, artificially managed ecosystems to breed these parrots and then release them into the wild, as well as take action against the illegal trade in these birds.
The already established facility to protect the environment is the bird park in Lake View Park, but the current situation calls for greater measures, and they must be taken immediately.
Muhammad Abdullah Bin Umar
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2019.
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