LAKKI MARWAT: The wildlife department on Monday foiled a bid to smuggle a falcon from Lakki Marwat to Punjab and seized the precious bird from a smuggler here.

The saker falcon is a famous and precious bird and is mainly used for traditional hunting in Arab countries.

The bird is facing extinction and its population has suffered a decline in the recent years due to illegal poaching.

Divisional forest officer wildlife, Bannu, Khan Malook Khan told reporters that on a tip-off about the possible bird’s smuggling attempt he alerted staffers posted in Lakki Marwat.

He said the wildlife team headed by range officer Mir Aslam Khan with the assistance of local police started searching vehicles bound for Punjab near Wanda Arsala checkpost on Lakki-Mianwali road.

“During search the officials seized saker falcon from the possession of one Mohammad Ramzan, a resident of Mianwali district, and arrested him,” he maintained, saying a case was registered against him under relevant sections of wildlife and biodiversity act because he could not produce legal documents for transportation of precious bird.

The DFO said the man had purchased the falcon from poachers in a Lakki Marwat village and was taking it to Punjab.

DENGUE AWARENESS WALK: The district health department on Monday organised an anti-dengue walk in Lakki city.

Additional deputy commissioner Jahangir Azam Wazir and district health officer Dr Taus Khan led the walk, which started from the town hall building and culminated at Qazi Ishfaq Chowk.

District coordinator of Expanded Programme on Immunisation Dr Kifayat Bittani, health department focal person for dengue Aziz Khan, local bodies’ representatives, teachers, students, political and social activists participated in the walk.

They carried banners with messages highlighting precautionary measures, symptoms and treatment of the mosquito-borne disease.

On the occasion, Mr Wazir called upon the people to keep their surroundings clean and avoid accumulation of water in houses and workplaces. “The stagnant water works as breeding ground for mosquitoes that transmit dengue and malaria,” he maintained.

DHO Taus Khan said the health department had carried out fogging in Lakki Marwat, Naurang and other towns to prevent mosquito-borne diseases.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2017