RAWALPINDI, Oct 14: The Punjab wildlife department here on Thursday recovered 53 Siberian falcons and arrested a man before he could send the birds to Qatar after catching them from Cholistan.

Special Judicial Magistrate Nazarat Ali Shah sent Mazhar Ali Shah to Adiala jail after he failed to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 to be released on bail. The case will be taken up on October 28.

The wildlife officials said they had received information that the falcons were being booked at the Benazir International Airport for Doha where dignitaries of Qatar were to receive them.

The accused was booked under Section 12 (absence of certificate of lawful possession), section 14 (restrictions on import and export of animals, trophies or meat, etc) and Section 28 (duty to produce permit on demand made by any officer or person authorised) of the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act 1974.

The court allowed the wildlife department to take the Siberian falcons to Lahore Zoo after Assistant Director Wildlife Department Rawalpindi Mohammad Nadeem Qureshi submitted that proper care of the wild birds could only be possible in Lahore where trained staff and relevant facilities were available.

Talking to Dawn, the assistant director said the recovered birds included two species of Churrig falcons and Saker falcons that migrated to Pakistan from Siberia in every winter and spent the season in Cholistan.

Usually, the hunters bait the wild birds with live prey by tying a dead bird with the claws of local eagle or other prey birds with traps. The birds are flown in the air inviting the Siberian falcons to snatch the prey from them and as they fight with eagles both the birds are tied with nylon wires, said the wildlife official.

After the capture, he said, the hunters stitch the eyes of the untamed falcons to avoid their attacks and keep them in captivity in a bid to tame and train them. The trainers do not allow the falcons to sleep at night to tame them and get attached with their trainers.

The official said slowly and gradually the eyes of the falcons are unstitched after they get used to human touch and company and are often sold to dignitaries in Saudi Arabia for hunting.

The falcons are again brought to Pakistan by Arab dignitaries as only they are allowed to hunt Houbara Bustard here.