Pakistani Bustard Hunting

[aryan2007]

Bustard hunting permits issued to Gulf leaders

By Bhagwandas

KARACHI, Nov 26: The federal government has issued houbara bustard hunting permits to 31 members of the ruling families of four Arabian Gulf states for the 2007-08 hunting season.

According to sources, nine such permits have been issued to the ruling family of Qatar, and another ten to UAE rulers — five of Dubai and five of Abu Dhabi. Seven members of the Saudi ruling family and five of Bahrain have also received the permit from the ministry of foreign affairs.

The permits are person-specific, each with a bag limit of 200 birds, and forbid the trapping and netting of the bird and poaching of chicks and eggs.

According to the sources, the rulers of Abu Dhabi have got the largest hunting area, stretching over eight districts in three provinces.

The names of permit holders and areas allotted to them are as follows:

Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Aviation Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Chagai and Noshki districts (except Noshki city) in Balochistan; Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Rajanpur and Layyah (via Dera Ghazi Khan) districts in Punjab; Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsin, Dera Ghazi Khan; Prince Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad, Umerkot district in Sindh; Prince Fahad bin Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz, Dera Bugti district (minus Dera Murad Jamali tehsil); and Sultan bin Abd El Rehman bin Al-Sudairi, Dera Murad Jamali tehsil of Dera Bugti.

United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi): President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Rahimyar Khan and Muzaffargarh districts in Punjab, Nawabshah, Sukkur and Sanghar districts in Sindh and Washuk, Kharan (excluding Nag Dara breeding area) and Panjgur districts in Balochistan; Crown Prince Lt-Gen Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed, Bolan district (Lehri tehsil) and Domki in Balochistan; Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Larkana (Khairpur Nathan Shah and Ghaibi Dero tehsils), Shahdadkot and Khairpur (areas across Nara Canal) districts in Sindh; Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed, Kakar Khurasan (Qila Saifullah district) area in Balochistan; and Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed, Khairpur including Kot Diji (except areas across Nara Canal).

UAE (Dubai): Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Lasbella and Khuzdar districts in Balochistan; Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum, Thatta (Jungshahi tehsil) district; Deputy chief of Police and General Security Shaikh Ahmad bin Rashid, Tharparkar district (Mithi, Diplo, Chachro and Nagarparkar tehsils, excluding sanctuary); Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry of UAE Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid, Bahawalpur district; and Director of UAE Prime Minister’s Office Nasser Abdullah Hussain (Lootah, Thatta, excluding Jungshahi, Jati, Shah Bander tehsils and Oonger and Jherrack union councils).

Bahrain: Shaikh Rashid bin Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa, Kalat district in Balochistan; Commander of National Guards Maj-Gen Shaikh Mohammad bin Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa, Jamshoro (Thano Bula Khan, Kotri, Manjhand and Sehwan tehsils); Minister of Electricity and Water Shaikh Abdullah bin Sulman, Thatta (Jati tehsil); Minister of Defence Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed, Jhal Magsi district (Gandava sub-division) in Balochistan; and Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali, Thatta (Oonger and Jhirk).

Qatar: Heir Apparent Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Dadu district; Prime Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa, Jacobabad district; Shaikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Barkhan district in Balochistan; Shaikh Mohammad bin Khalifa, Khushab district in Punjab; First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hammad bin Jassim bin Jaber, Qila Saifullah (Muslim Bagh tehsil); Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Maj-Gen Hamad bin Ali Al-Attiya, Bahawalpur district; Shaikh Faisal bin Thani, Lora Lai tehsil in Balochistan; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah, Turbat district; and Shaikh Abdul Rehman bin Naseer bin Qasim, Bolan (Tehsil Sani Shora area).

Bustard hunting permits issued to Gulf leaders -DAWN - Top Stories; November 27, 2007

KARACHI: Winter heralds killing spree of endangered houbara bustard



By Bhagwandas


KARACHI, Nov 23: As the colder winds start to blow announcing the beginning of winter and the country gets ready to welcome its annual visitors, the migratory birds which, avoiding the harsh weather conditions back home in Central Asia, come to winter here in a comparatively warm environment.

One of the most important among the winter visitors to Pakistan is the internationally protected houbara bustard. But as soon as the birds of the highly rare species arrive, another kind of visitor – foreign falconers – also descend on the country to hunt the hapless bustard, which winters in the arid zones and desert regions of the country.

According to wildlife experts, the houbara bustard is primarily a resident of the colder Central Asian regions of the Kyzyl Kum, which lies east of the Aral Sea in the former USSR and follows the Indus Flyway, one of the most important routes taken by migratory birds during their annual journey to the warmer South Asian regions.

Earlier, it used to go as far south as the Arabian Peninsula, but due to widespread hunting carried out by the local falconers the entire migratory population going to the Arabian Peninsula had been wiped out. Hence, due to their self-preservation instinct, the birds stopped going there. But when the Gulf falconers could not find the houbaras visiting their region, they started looking elsewhere. That is why their focus shifted to Pakistan, which is one of the biggest recipients of the migratory houbara population, said a source.

Pakistan is a signatory to various international conservation conventions, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, Convention on Migratory Bird Species, the Bonn Convention, etc, and is morally bound to protect the houbara. But the officials concerned have done little to implement the country’s international commitments.

The trapping, netting and trade of the houbara is banned under the local wildlife protection laws. Its hunting is also banned for natives, while the government issues special hunting permits to foreign falconers. The interest of the Gulf falconers in hunting the houbara is based on a myth – though not supported by any scientific evidence – that the bird’s meat has aphrodisiac qualities.

Cruel sport

There are two ways, both equally cruel, through which the houbara is hunted. According to one method, the more traditional one, when camel-riding hunters spot a bustard, whose colour is almost identical to its habitat, they form a circle around it and start moving in slowly, shooting it at close range to cause instant death. This method, however, is not used by the foreign falconers.

The other method is far bloodier, in which falcons are used to attack and capture the bird. The sport turns into a massacre when radar and radio-equipped scouts riding high-tech desert range vehicles are let loose to spot the quarry. Once spotted, the falcons, sometimes worth millions of rupees, move in for the kill.

Weighing between 1.7 and 2.4kg, the houbara has a natural defence mechanism whereby it squirts dark green slime when under attack. This device seldom works with the falcons. However, once a falcon is hit by the gummy substance, it will never be willing to pursue the bird again. Though the foreign falconers can only hunt up to 200 birds, the bag limit is rarely observed.

Lacklustre efforts

Keeping in view the precarious condition of the houbara, the government has decided to issue only two special hunting permits per country, but the condition is rarely followed. And though the politicians and government officials, who have reportedly been influenced by the largesse doled out by the wealthy foreign hunters, have not been successful in controlling the genocide of the bird, the role of the conservation NGOs has also been far from ideal.

Sources recalled that once an international NGO launched a campaign to protect the houbara, which immediately gained momentum and public support. But soon enough the government as well as the falconers wooed the NGO’s top brass — mostly comprising businessmen — with lucrative contracts and licences. The campaign was abruptly stopped.

It is high time a sincere strategy was formulated to save the houbara bustard from extinction so that a substantial population is left for the future generations.

KARACHI: Winter heralds killing spree of endangered houbara bustard -DAWN - Local; November 24, 2007


Poor Bustards

 

[pacifist]

This specie of bird has been catagorized as endangered by conservavtion biologist. This innocent and shy type of bird migrates from central asia to Pakistan and is subjected t0 prey by one of the worst enemy,........ that is man. Government has give permission to 31 elite of arab families to hunt this. According to the license issued , one hunter can kill 200 birds. Guess how many birds will be killed by these 31 families. GOvernment, wildlife engo,s should play their role to conserve this endangered specie to prevent it from extinction.

 

[Spring Onion]

The Wildlife had a comprehensive plan to save these i will post the details tommorrow.
BUt if this new is true than im realy sad.

But let me talk to a conservasion network i have friend there they are working for nature's conservation and they can run a drive against this new development.

Jana

 

[Spring Onion]

Plan afoot for protection of endangered houbara bustard

PESHAWAR: The NWFP Wildlife department is developing a project for sustainable conservation and protection of the endangered bird 'houbara bustard in the southern districts of the province.
"Practical work on the ambitious project will start from
the next fiscal year. The project will be completed with an estimated cost of Rs.100million in five years," Dr Muhammad Mumtaz Malik, Chief Conservator NWFP Wildlife Department told APP.
Under the project, he said the community living in houbara's habitats would be organized for formation of village conservation committees (VCDs) in their respective areas as these localities would be declared community game reserves for protection and conservation of the shy bird that has been put in the near hreatened category by the IUCN.
The Wildlife Chief said that these communities would be
provided incentives in the form of minimum basic physical productive
infrastructure, saying that community representatives will be
empowered with the powers of wildlife officers under the relevant
wildlife laws.
Under the project, he said the steps will be taken to
improve the houbara's habitats through feedlots and development of
hiding cover. Intensive patrolling will be arranged during the
migratory season to check illegal hunting, he added.
Dr Mumtaz said that the houbara population has already started their
journey from freezing Central Asian States (CAS) to Pakistan due to
limited resources of food there during the winter season. "The birds
migrate to Pakistan in thousands and travels in flocks," he added.
"The large migratory birds arrive every year in Pakistan in first week of November from Siberia and Central Asian Republics (CARs) and returns in March," he said when asked. The desert plains of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Blochistan are the houbara's wintering habitat's where sufficient food is available.
Journeying about 5000 kilometers from CARs and Siberia, houbara flocks land in Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, arid areas of Sindh and Balochistan, saying that it eats insects, wild fruits, small reptiles and small twigs.
Dr Mumtaz said that houbara is very sensitive bird and
it does not use the route again if they sense any danger on their way during the first journey. He said that bird move quickly as it takes only few days over a height of about 4700 meters to reach Pakistan and passing through Chitral, Nowshera, DI Khan and DG Khan,
Tarparker, Nag Valley and Cholistan. The weather determines the exact timing of travel as the bird has to avoid harsh weather in flight, he added.
The Wildlife Chief said artificial breading is being
carried out in UAE, Saudia Arabia and Morocco but it has to be done
in under extremely controlled condition and is very expensive.
To a question about the gradual decrease of houbara population in
range states, Dr Mumtaz said that one of the reasons of its gradual
decrease is the rivalry between its newborn. "The sibling hatching
first usually kills the other," saying that its lays only two eggs.
To a question about role of NGOs on preservation of and
protection of endangered species including houbara bustard, Dr Malik
said that the enthusiasm of NGOs interested in preserving the
endangered species has been on the decline with the passage of time.
Dr Mumtaz said that as houbara has no geographical boundaries in its
range, therefore it is not just to put all the responsibility on the
wildlife departments. He said that long stretches from Mandara Kalan
to Ramak covering 100squre miles have been declared protected for the preservation of the bird. Likewise, special directives have been
issued to wildlife inspectors increase their patrolling during the
migratory season to check its illegal hunting and trapping.
The wildlife official said that any campaign is bound to fail unless it enjoys the support of community. He recommended the need for community involvement through financial, legal and other incentives for durable preservation and protection of the endangered hourba. APP