KARACHI: Seven peregrine falcons and one laggar falcon recently confiscated from two suspects travelling in a passenger bus at Toll Plaza off the Superhighway were released in the Kirthar National Park on Thursday.

The seizure took place in a joint operation by the wildlife department and the Rangers.

All species of falcons are endangered and protected under the provincial law.

“Two persons were held and fined Rs50,000 for illegally possessing and transporting falcons,” said Mumtaz Soomro, a wildlife field officer, adding that the birds were brought from Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan.

According to him, falcons have started migrating to Pakistan from colder climates and wildlife traffickers are targeting them.

Described as the fastest flying bird, the peregrine falcon is a raptor and able to dive at 200 miles per hour. It’s found in every continent except Antarctica.

The laggar falcon, however, occurs in the Indian subcontinent from extreme south-east Iran, south-east Afghanistan, Pakistan through India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and north-west Myanmar.

Recent media reports suggest that nearly 5,000 to 6,000 falcons are trapped and smuggled out of Pakistan every year and sold to Arab sheikhs in the Middle East.

Recent studies show that there has been a significant decline in their wild population over the past 15 years in the country. Certain falcon species are becoming rarer, most significantly the saker and peregrine falcon, which are largely used in falconry.

“Increasing interest in falconry from the Middle East is encouraging smugglers to trap these birds alive. As such, the illegal trade is a primary threat to numerous species of falcons within Pakistan,” says the WWF-P website.

Internationally, intensified use of pesticides has been identified as a major threat to their population.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2017