Wildlife raid exposes illegal bird trade, nearly 1,700 carcasses seized

KARACHI:

Their journey to Pakistan should have offered migratory birds a seasonal refuge. Instead, for nearly 1,700 of them, it ended in nets, slaughter and freezers - before their carcasses were allegedly dispatched to buyers across the country.

The Sindh Wildlife Department has seized nearly 1,700 slaughtered birds during a raid in Jamshoro, exposing an alleged illegal hunting and supply network that captured birds from their natural habitats, preserved them in freezers and supplied them to different districts on order.

More than 700 of the recovered birds belonged to species considered haram (impermissible for consumption) under Islamic jurisprudence. Despite this, their meat was reportedly being sold openly, Sindh Wildlife Chief Conservator Javed Mehr said.

According to Mehr, the birds were captured using nets and stored in freezers before being supplied to buyers in various parts of the country. He added that the species recovered were important for the environment because of the ecological services they provide.

A case has been registered against five suspects by the Sindh Wildlife Protection Police under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Act, 2020.

Mehr identified Jamshoro, Dadu, Qambar, Thatta, Sujawal and Badin as major centres of illegal bird trade in rural Sindh.

He said birds from colder countries migrate to Pakistan and other temperate regions when food becomes scarce in their natural habitats. Their arrival, however, also brings hunting networks into action, with migratory birds becoming targets for illegal capture and trade.

The chief conservator said Section 144 had already been imposed to restrict the trade in birds and their capture using nets, alongside enforcement of the provincial wildlife protection law.

Despite a severe shortage of enforcement personnel and resources, he added, wildlife teams remained active in efforts to curb illegal hunting and trade.