Migratory birds get safe passage amid virus lockdown

ISLAMABAD: Reduced human activities outdoors due to Covid-19 lockdown has not only contributed to the revival of nature through lowering pollution level and limiting human interference but also provided an opportunity to the migratory birds to fly freely without any threat of poaching.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was marked on May 9 (Saturday) worldwide through online campaigns and awareness events amid Covid-19 crisis to draw attention of the authorities toward conservation of migratory birds to save the ecosystem.

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WMBD is celebrated bi-annually on the second Saturday of May and October 10 globally to draw attention to the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

Pakistan Musuem of Natural History (PMNH) Migratory Birds Section Associate Curator Muhammad Asif Khan said the prevailing lockdown has contributed to the protection of migratory birds through giving them opportunity to move freely without any fear of hunting not only in Pakistan but globally.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2020.