KARACHI: Falcon-trapping permits issued in violation of law
By Bhagwandas
KARACHI, Nov 25: The Sindh wildlife department has issued at least 23 falcon-trapping and trading permits to various persons for the year 2001 - 2002.
Eighteen of these are trapping permits while five are dealership permits. This year three permits more were issued than those of last year, when 17 trapping and three dealership permits were issued.
The permit holders trap migratory falcon species — Peregrine and Saker — which, avoiding the harsh cold weather in their habitats in the Central Asian region, come to spend their winters in comparatively warm environment here every year.
These falcons species are protected under the local wildlife protection laws and various international wildlife protection conventions such as the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), etc.
Pakistan being a signatory to these international wildlife protection conventions is bound to not only follow these regulations but also to make its local laws in conformity with these international agreements.
The falcon trappers in their bid to trap the migratory falcons are wiping out the local falcons species which are used in large numbers as booby-traps to catch the migratory species.
There are two procedures to trap the falcons. In one procedure a small bird of prey is to put under a huge basket, that is held up on one side with the help of a stick which is attached with a rope that is held by the trappers hiding in the nearby bushes.
When the migratory falcon, flying high in the sky, spots a bird of prey. It is unable to understand that it is a booby-trap. It comes flying down to attack the prey and in the process either the basket falls on him due to the impact or the trappers pull the rope and the stick that holds the basket falls. The basket entraps the falcon under it.
In the another procedure the trappers clip the wings of the local falcon species, sew their eye lids, and tie some small bleeding birds in the claws of the falcons and attach a large number of small traps with it.
After doing that the trappers hiding in small bushes in the plains wait for the migratory falcons to appear in the sky. Once a peregrine or a saker falcon is spotted flying in the sky, the trappers throw the local falcon — the bleeding prey attached with its claws — in to the sky.
When the migratory falcon flying high in the sky spots a lower species falcon with the prey, it attacks the local falcon and in the process the migratory falcon is trapped in the numerous traps that are attached with the prey and local falcon claws.
Though the migratory falcons are much stronger and bigger in size, these are unable to carry and fly away with the total load of the prey and the local falcon, and slowly land on ground, where the trappers, hiding in the nearby bushes, are waiting.
As soon as the falcons land on ground, the trappers put big cloth sheets on it and put hoods on its eyes so that it could not see and fly away.
This seems to be a simple method, but to catch the attention of the migratory falcon — flying high in the sky — the trappers have to throw the local falcons, with prey tied to their claws, many times in the sky.
The local falcons, whose wings had been clipped and the prey and the traps are attached with their claws, when not caught by th migratory falcons fall heavily on the ground like a heavy stone. The falcons could not take more than two to three such falls and either its bones, wings etc are broken and they die. Or is thrown away and left bleeding to die.
The trappers than carry out the same throwing up practice with an other local falcon. Hundreds of local falcons are killed to catch a single migratory falcon.
In this way the trappers are also wiping out the local falcon population. The diet of the local falcons comprises mice, rodents, and other insects that are harmful for the crops. So as the number of the local falcons are dwindling, the population of creatures harmful for the agriculture increases and would be taking its toll on the crops.
The peregrine falcons are trapped in the coastal areas and the sakers are trapped in the arid zones of the country. These are used for hunting of the internationally protected migratory bird species of houbara bustard.
The trapping of the migratory falcons has become a big business in the past couple of decades due to the interest of the gulf falconers who hunt the houbara bustards with the help of falcons.
The cost of the young female peregrines and sakers, which catch the fancy of houbara hunters, easily runs in millions of rupees, while the highest price that a migratory falcon has fetched so far is Rs5 million.
