Partridge poaching raises concerns

Lack of animal population surveys, overhunting highlighted

LAHORE:

Hunters killed hundreds of partridges on the first day hunting season in Punjab. Organizations working for wildlife protection and welfare warn that if the hunting of wildlife, including partridges, is not controlled, these species of birds and animals will become extinct.

The Punjab Wildlife Department issued a notification permitting partridge hunting from December 1st to January 31st last month, but sources say that in the tehsils where hunting is allowed, no survey has been conducted regarding the partridge population. In this regard, the Chief Minister of Punjab was also deceived.

Hunters have already killed hundreds of partridges every day across Punjab, with pictures being shared on social media. According to a notification of Punjab Wildlife, hunters with valid shooting licenses are only allowed to hunt partridges on Sundays and in areas where there is a significant population of partridges, as per the Punjab Wildlife Survey.

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The notification permits hunting in Gujjar Khan, Taxila, Sohawa, Dinah, Choa Saidan Shah, Kallar Kahar, Isa Khel, Bhakkar, Kallur Kot, Bahawalgar and Manchanabad, Fateh Jhang, Hazro, Hasan Abdal, Ahmedpur Sharqiya and Hashilpur. Similarly, hunting will be allowed in all tehsils of Faisalabad, Sargodha Toba Tek Singh, Jhang Chiniot, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujarat, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vihari Leh, DG Khan, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur.

However, hunting is prohibited in district Rahim Yar Khan and all its tehsils. Moreover, partridge hunting is completely banned in Wildlife Reserve Areas, Private Game Reserves, Defense Settlement Areas, Buffer Zones, Thal Public Wildlife Reserve Areas, National Parks.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2023.