Cutting of shrubs, trees affects wildlife

Hunters eradicate bushes to ward off animals preying on birds

RAHIM YAR KHAN:

With drought conditions setting in due to rising temperature in the Cholistan desert, some people have started clearing a vast area of bushes to set up a hunting camp.

Specially acacia plants have been cut near Chachra Toba, local residents said.

According to a resident, Meher Asad, the main reason for eradicating the plants from this area is that foxes and jackals hide in them, which hunt bustard.

He said that during the dry season in Cholistan, the deer make up for the lack of water in the ponds during drought by eating the plants.

In addition, various types of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals depend on the plants for survival. Most important for them is the shade of the plants to protect them from the sun and heat of the desert.

Another resident said that desert foxes, jackals, wolves and cats had been hunted in the past to ensure they couldn't prey on the migratory houbara bustard. The birds were protected for the hunting tours.

He pointed out that the black deer had become extinct in Cholistan that is spread over 6.6 million acres. The number of deer of other types in the area has also dwindled to less than 3,500.

The cutting of bushes and trees for burning fire in kilns is also causing an imbalance in the climate. The Cholistan Development Authority does not have enough resources for the protection of wildlife in the vast area.

According to sources in the wildlife protection department, the wild trees on the routes of vehicles are also being chopped since a recent accident. A man man had died when his vehicles rammed into a tree near Rahim Yar Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune May 10^th, 2024.