Over 500 wild birds rescued, released

Wildlife dept has released more than 60,000 birds since Feb


​ Our Correspondent December 08, 2019
Over 500 different species of birds were rescued and released by the Sindh Wildlife Department at Haleji Lake on Saturday. PHOTO: EXPRESS

KARACHI: Over 500 wild birds of different species were rescued in a raid near Cantonment Railway Station on Saturday. The birds were later released near Haleji Lake, one of the province's major wildlife sanctuaries, around 60 kilometres from the metropolis.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) official Naeem Ahmed shared that the raid was conducted following a tip-off. "There was no resistance from any side; the birds were lying on the roadside," he added.

320 species to be displayed at Birds of Sindh exhibition

The owner of the birds arrived at the SWD office, located at the Old Freemasons Lodge near Karachi Press Club, with lawyers following the raid, attempting to convince the staff to return the birds to him. However, said Ahmed, not a single bird was handed over.

Rasheed Khan, a wildlife department official, posted at Haleji Lake, told The Express Tribune that the birds released at the sanctuary belonged to four different species, namely the common myna, bank myna, red-vented bulbul and white-cheeked bulbul.

"These are local species, found in both rural and urban areas," Khan explained, adding that releasing them near the lake meant that they could go back to their habitat. "If we release them in the city, they can easily be killed by predators." He said that some of the birds were injured and would go back to the wild a few hours later.

Migratory birds descend on Rawalpindi

The provincial wildlife department has recently imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of wild birds, which are trapped in different parts of the province. Over 60,000 trapped birds have been released in Sindh since February. Department officials said that some families had been involved in the business of selling these birds for years, adding that they had been warned to stop.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2019.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ