Saudi prince kills 2,100 threatened birds in Pakistan: report

23 April 2014 - 16:18 By Sapa-dpa
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A Pakistani newspaper slammed a Saudi prince for allegedly hunting down 2,100 rare Houbara bustards on a safari in the country, more than 20 times the licensed number.

The hunting party of Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud killed the birds in January in Chagai district of the south-western province of Balochistan province, Dawn newspaper reported, citing local forestry officials.

The prince shot 1,977 birds himself, while others in his group hunted down another 123, the province's forest and wildlife department was quoted as reporting. He also hunted in reserved and protected areas, the report said.

"The prince's actions are the equivalent of your house guest, repaying your warm reception by playing cricket in your living room; and grinning broadly as he poses for a picture next to a pile of broken furniture and fine china," the paper said in a comment online.

Hunting the Houbara bustard is banned in Pakistan, but a number of licences are issued each year to foreigners, many from the Gulf, where the bird's meat is valued as an aphrodisiac.

The non-transferable permits allow the holder to kill up to 100 over 10 days in a specified area. The paper criticized the prince, but also national authorities for issuing the permits at all.

"The least we can expect is a formal apology from the state of Pakistan for issuing those special permits for allowing such unspeakable, and potentially irreplaceable, damage to our wildlife," it said.

The bustards migrate each year from Central Asia to spend the winter in the warmer climate of Pakistan.

Their global population is estimated at 110,000, declining at an average rate of nearly 25 per cent, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which classifies the species as vulnerable.

The Houbara bustard is also the provincial bird of Balochistan.

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