KARACHI: Two wildlife poachers were caught, booked and fined while six highly rare demoiselle cranes were recovered from them and confiscated by Balochistan wildlife staffers early on Saturday morning.

The birds, according to the Balochistan wildlife officials, are expected to be released on Monday.

Responding to Dawn queries, Lasbela forest and wildlife deputy conservator Maqbool-ul-Hassan, who had caught the poachers, said that the department had received information that some poachers were transporting demoiselle cranes of highly rare species.

He said that early on Saturday morning a truck came at the Gulsheri police post, located between the towns of Dam and Winder, and during its checking conducted with the help of Winder SHO Mohammad Ishaq and his policemen six cranes were recovered and two poachers — Mohammad Hussain, son of Hukumzada and Akhtar Munir, son of Faizullah, were arrested.

They were residents of Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that a case was registered against the poachers and a fine of Rs30,000 was recovered.

He said that the cranes had been caught in Sonmiani bay and were being transported to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that the cranes — three males and three females, all adults — were in good health and being kept at the wildlife offices in Lasbela and would be released at the Sonmiani bay on Monday.

The sources claimed that staffers of a federal uniformed force handling most of the security affairs in Balochistan were providing assistance to poachers and had even tried to persuade the police and wildlife staffers to get the poachers along with the caught birds released.

A report of the incident had been sent to the higher provincial officials, added the sources.