Pakistani falconers' birds are a no-show

Al Ain: Pakistani falconers faced a setback when they arrived at the falconry festival in Al Ain without their birds as Islamabad disallowed their transport out of the country.

Hawks are listed as endangered birds by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and their transportation needs special permission from Pakistani authorities, said Shahzada Mohammad Amir Hasnatuddin, a member of the team.

"The Falcon Foundation has been obtaining the required permissions," he said as he earlier expressed the hope that their birds would arrive yesterday.

The birds have been checked by experts and were certified fit for the competition, he said.

Hasnatuddin said Cites has wrongly placed hawks in the red list of endangered species.

"This is not an endangered bird as it has a huge population in northern Pakistan and Central Asia," he said.

Bird species with a population of 500 or less are normally considered endangered.

"We have seen thousands of such birds flying in the mountainous region," Hasnatuddin said.

Migratory route

Chitral district in Pakistan is located on the important seasonal migratory route of birds travelling from Siberia to the Arabian deserts.

He said Cites must review the bird's status as the ban has spawned poaching.

"The measure has led to the illegal poaching of the bird as a large number of people in Chitral district are earning their livelihood through hawks," he said.