DERA GHAZI KHAN: Unchecked large-scale poaching of cranes is continuing in trans-Indus districts of DG Khan and Rajanpur, sources told Dawn.

According to the sources, groups of poachers have set up their camps in different parts of the arid zones of Rajanpur and DG Khan to catch the migratory cranes flying into the region from Russian Syberia.

They said the poachers had set up their camps in the vicinity of Kotrum Border Military Police’s station and Khumbhi, besides areas dominated by Mazari and Darishak tribes in the tribal area of Rajanpur district and the arid zone near Choti Bala, DG Khan district. They said large-scale illegal poaching of the migratory bird had been continuing in these areas with the abatement of local wildlife department employees.

They said the sale of live cranes had become a very profitable business in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where in some areas a pair of cranes was a part of the dowry and the brides’ relatives gift these birds at the weddings. The ritual was inspired by the myth that cranes lived in pairs during their whole lifespan and could not survive alone, they added.

DG Khan Wildlife Deputy Director Naveed Tariq claimed the poachers were not allowed in the areas where cranes seasonally arrive. He said the department would take action against the poachers and if any official was found involved in the illegal activity, he would be punished as per law.

These migratory birds from Eurasia spend winter in Africa, while those from Mongolia and China spend winter in some areas of Pakistan and India.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2021