MITHI: An Arab prince returned to Dubai after hunting 80 endangered and rare houbara bustards in Thar with his falcons.

According to reports received here, the prince from Dubai and his nephew were allowed to hunt 100 internationally protected birds in 10 days. The two Arab guests camped in the belts of Nagarparkar and Diplo talukas of Tharparkar district with 80 vehicles, more than two dozen falcons and scores of orderlies, and enjoyed their hunting expedition.

Reliable sources told Dawn that they could hunt only 80 birds in seven days as a limited number of houbaras had arrived in Thar this year due to severe cold.

The guests departed after giving handsome gifts of expensive vehicles and cash to those influential locals and officials of the wildlife department who facilitated their hunting expedition in Thar.

Our Staff Reporter in Karachi adds: In reply to Dawn queries, Mithi-based SWD official Lajpat Sharma said that a Dubai-based Arab, Sheikh Ahmed, came to Tharparkar on Dec 27, 2013, and left on Jan 4.

The federal government had issued the special permit to Maj Gen Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, deputy chief of police and general security in Dubai, to hunt houbara bustards in Umerkot, Tharparkar (including Mithi and Nagarparkar) districts excluding the protected areas in Sindh.