The neighbours are geared up for the Houbara hunting season this winter. Members of Arab royal families have set up camps at Islamgarh, Rahimiyaar Khan, Sangarh, Shakhar and Ghotaki on the Pakistan border facing the Jaisalmer fort near Tanot. The huntsmen carried firearms and specially trained falcons to hunt these Houbara birds.
Why are Houbara Birds hunted?
Every year, thousands of Houbara birds flock in from cold countries to take shelter in the cold deserts of Pakistan. Surprising, these birds were also spotted in Desert National Park, in Jaisalmer too. Wildlife experts believe that the meat of Houbara bird is very tasty. Besides having a high nutritious value, Houbara meat acts as an aphrodisiac. Therefore, royal families from Arab countries visit Pakistan’s desert areas during winters.
In 2016-2017, the Pakistan government has legalised Houbara hunting. They’ve issued permits for training hunter falcons for the game. Additionally, they’d allotted specific areas in the deserts for this purpose.
A few reliable sources have informed that 4 big and 4 small Toyota cars equipped with hunting gadgets were seen chasing the birds on the Pak borders. The locales have spotted Sheikhs and trained falcons in Bahawalpur, Shakhar Sangad, Rahimiyaar across the border. These falcons belong to Lager and Perigon breeds.
Trainers invest approximately Rs 4 to 5 lakhs in training bigger falcons. The birds that have antenna or transmitters attached to their feet costs around Rs 12 lakhs. This way, it’s easier to track these birds. Once the bird takes off its flight, the hunting vehicles linked with the GPS receives signals. This is how the huntsmen track their falcons. Once, the falcon kills the bird, it waits for the owners to come. These dead birds are kept in deep freezers installed in Toyota cars.
In the early 1970s, the Arab royals visited Jaisalmer for Houbara hunting, but they met with protests from the locales. Thereafter, the Indian government imposed a ban on bird hunting, after having an intense discussion in the Parliament. Since then, the birds happily thrived in Jaisalmer’s desert national park.
Nevertheless, it seems that Pakistan is fond of firearms and killing. Whether it’s ceasefire violations or hunting animals, the neighbours always make room for killing the innocent.
