Pakistan urged to ban Arab sheikhs from hunting endangered birds
Source: The Guardian
Pakistan urged to ban Arab sheikhs from hunting endangered birds
Jon Boone in Karachi
theguardian.com, Tuesday 4 February 2014 07.00 GMT
Pakistan is witnessing a mounting backlash against Arab sheikhs who spend part of their winters hunting a rare bird that conservationists warn is at risk of extinction.
Activists in the country say they are determined to end the annual killing of houbara bustards, an elusive bird that migrates each winter from central Asia to Pakistan's warmer climes.
Although the birds are officially protected, VIP visitors from the Gulf enjoy their traditional hunts with falcons and believe the houbara's meat has aphrodisiac properties.
"Is there any more ridiculous reason to kill an animal?" said Naeem Sadiq, a Karachi-based activist who petitioned the Lahore high court to ban the practice. "If it's illegal for Pakistanis to kill these birds why should the Arab sheikhs be allowed to do it?"
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/04/pakistan-ban-arab-sheikhs-hunting-houbara-bustard