MITHI, Dec 6: Taking notice of indiscriminate poaching of rare species in Thar leading to their extinction, the notables and environmentalists of the desert area have appealed the WWF, the IUCN and other wildlife conservation agencies to pressurize the federal and provincial authorities not to issue special hunting permits for Thar to any local influential and particularly to royal hunters from Arabian Gulf.

Talking to Dawn they said that the hunters trapped or hunted a large number of peacocks, houbara, falcon etc, which were killers of snakes and other poisonous reptiles.

Consequently the population of snakes and vipers had risen to alarming proportion in Thar desert and 2,002 Tharis had become victims of snakebite this year, 18 of them expired due to shortage of anti-snake bite vaccine at the district hospitals, they added.

Meanwhile, a caravan of 68 vehicles occupied by scores of orderlies of a Gulf dignitary with falcon and other accessories, passed from here the other day.

The orderlies are to make advance arrangements for the hunting spree of their master who is said to have been issued a special hunting permit by the federal government.

A good number of the henchmen of the royal hunter have arrived here a couple of days ago and they have established their camps near Naokot, Dotar, Jatrai, Ali Bunder, Bhimrar, Kawara and other places.

They had already spotted the areas, where deer, antelope, sand grouse, partridge, falcon, peacock, rabbit and other game birds or animals can be trapped or hunted, a source told this correspondent.

As visiting wealthy poachers usually give expensive gifts including luxurious vehicles and gratifications in cash to the personnel of Wildlife department and local patels (influential), they provide them assistance in hunting.

Another source pointed out that some of the local influential persons, in connivance with the some of the staffers of Wildlife department, had recently got trapped a good number of deer, falcon and peacock which are to be sold to the visiting hunters.