THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BLOG POST.
I felt compelled to write this when I came across this editorial in the Indian Express, a daily newspaper in India, of 19th December 2019. Posting the clipping below:
Vulnerable and internationally protected, MacQueen’s bustard or Houbara Bustard belongs to the family of heaviest flying birds. (Remember, the Ostrich & Emu though bigger, are flightless).
This desert specialist spends the summer in Central Asia and migrates to the Middle East, Iran & Pakistan in winters. It is a regular but rare migrant to my country, India. From what I know, they live in very small family flocks of few birds. In one particular area in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, only one bird has been migrating for the last three consecutive years. This is literally, the last bird standing. That rare.
Threats:
Legalised hunting of a vulnerable bird??
Being a heavy bird, I can imagine it would be reluctant to take off. Its large size would make it easier to shoot with modern weapons. But why allow people to kill this vulnerable bird for money?
In Pakistan, a major wintering region of this bird, hunting is allowed by issuing permits. “$100,000/- fee was fixed for 100 Houbara Bustards” according to Pak Tribune dated 11 Dec. 2019. (clipping below)
My opinion:
Birds including migratory ones belong to the world & not to any region or boundary.
We all know killing any animal damages and potentially destroys the ecosystem. I want to know what amount has been allocated for protecting the bird and restoring its ecosystem?
This ghastly act should be stopped immediately.