Birds in hand

The brave rescue of four Saker Falcons by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Wildlife Department from a passenger coach travelling along the Kohat Road is good news indeed, demonstrating unusual commitment to the cause of wild animals. The falcons, an endangered species, were being taken to Karachi from where, Wildlife Department officials believe they would have been smuggled to the Gulf. The falcons are in huge demand in the UAE and it is estimated the birds would have been sold for a collective price of around Rs3.5 million. Cross global trade of the species is banned, leaving smuggling as the only way to obtain them. A raid on the bus was conducted by a team after receiving news of the attempt to take them away. The smuggler was able to escape, but has been identified, while the fortunate falcons are to be released back into freedom at the Peshawar Golf Course, after receiving due permission.

The falcons, which migrate each year from Siberia to Pakistan, Afghanistan and China have, over the years, been captured extensively in the country for purposes of smuggling, and have, as a result, become rarer and rarer. These are not the only visitors we treat so inhospitably. Migrating Siberian geese, ducks and other birds have also been a popular target for hunters. The hunting of migratory birds has been strictly restricted under international law since 1970, but still takes place.

Stories of attempts to smuggle in animals brought from the Far East to use Pakistan as a transit point to take them further away have also emerged regularly. The action taken by the K-P Wildlife Department should act as an example for other authorities engaged in wildlife protection in any capacity. These animals often become the target of poachers, smugglers and hunters in search of either profit or pleasure. There is then an urgent need to do more to protect these creatures and actively work for this purpose — so that others can be saved as the Saker Falcons were.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th,  2013.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.