DERA GHAZI KHAN: Poaching of falcons continues unchecked along the banks of the river Indus, where these rare birds are caught illegally through internationally prohibited traps, using pigeons as baits.

As per Punjab wildlife department sources, the reckless poachers tie pigeons legs and place them beneath nets to attract falcons flying high in the sky. When the falcons swoop down to attack the pigeons, they get trapped by the nets. The helpless pigeons are left tied, hungry and thirsty until the falcon is trapped, the sources say.

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According to the sources, this illegal activity is being carried out openly along the river Indus in the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur. The captured falcons, especially those belonging to high-value species, are sold at exorbitant prices in the black market, they add.

Meanwhile, wildlife officials rejected social media reports claiming that a resident of Rujhan sold a falcon caught by poachers for Rs9 million.

Rajanpur Wildlife Assistant Director Sultan Anjum told Dawn that the reports regarding the falcon sale for Rs9m have been investigated. As per investigation, he says, the poachers in the pictures circulating on social media do not belong to Rajanpur.

He also claimed that the place where the falcon was allegedly caught is located in Sindh area adjacent to Rujhan tehsil, in Suleiman mountains range.

Rajanpur shares its boundaries with Kashmore district of Sindh and Dera Bugti of Balochistan. He claimed that poachers escape to these mountainous area, making it hard for the wildlife officials to chase them due to poor law and order there.

He says that despite such tough conditions, the wildlife officials have imposed total fines of more than Rs1 million on offenders from July to October 2025 in Rajanpur district, besides lodged five FIRs against the suspects, including falcon poachers.

He added that a fine of Rs125,000 was slapped on falcon poachers alone for the first time in the district, showing unwavering commitment of the department to check such illegal practices.

A local Zoologist, Umer Waqas says that the unchecked poaching of falcons along the Indus poses a grave ecological, ethical and legal challenge. Falcons, being the apex aerial predators, play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and their disappearance from the wild signals growing environmental degradation and weak enforcement of wildlife protection laws.

He says that the use of live pigeons as bait to trap falcons is not only cruel but also a blatant violation of Pakistan’s wildlife laws and international agreements such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

He says that what makes the situation even more concerning is the nexus between local poachers and the illegal international wildlife trade, where rare falcon species are sold at exorbitant prices. This black market demand continues to encourage organised networks of poachers and traders, he adds.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2025