Wildlife dept team roughed up at bird bazaar

KARACHI:

A wildlife department raid at the Bird Market in Saddar turned nasty when the shopkeepers confronted the officials with sticks forcing them to flee.

According to Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) Administrator, Mumtaz Soomro, a team of the department went to the Bird Market located near Empress Market in Saddar, to search for a few specific shops.

There were reports that these shops were illegally selling protected and exotic birds, the SWD administrator said, adding that there were also reports that birds of different breeds of sparrow hawk and falcons were present in the shops.

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However, when the SWD officials walked into the lane of the market, some shopkeepers attacked them with sticks.

The raid had to be called off and the team came back without a search, Soomro said adding they were planning a major raid with police backup soon.

Meanwhile, the bird bazaar shopkeepers have alleged that they were being harassed by raids in the name of search. They accused wildlife officials of selling seized birds in other markets.

Later in the evening, SWD Conservator Javed Mehr informed The Express Tribune that Sindh Wildlife Protection Police have registered a case against a suspect Jahanzeb Khan and his accomplices for selling illegally captured birds, attacking SWD officers and tearing their uniforms, besides snatching the seized birds from them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2023.