Karachi: Pakistani authorities said Saturday they had foiled an attempt to smuggle dozens of endangered falcons worth more than one million dollars out of the country.
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Wildlife traffickers catch falcons in Pakistan's mountainous north, often to sell them for lucrative profits in the Gulf region, where hunting with the birds is a popular sport.
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Customs officials seized 75 falcons and a houbara bustard at locations around the southern port city of Karachi in what they called an "unprecedented" anti-smuggling operation.
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"The birds are listed as rare and endangered species and their trade is strictly banned," said senior customs officer Mohammad Saqif Saeed.
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He did not identify the species of the birds but estimated their value to be around 200 million rupees (over $1 million) on the black market.
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Authorities have arrested two suspects and plan to release the birds into the wild.
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A custom official touches a falcon that was recovered from illegal captivity.
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Falcons are often used by wealthy hunting parties from the Gulf who travel to Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province every winter to catch and kill the houbara.
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An earlier ban on the sport was overturned by Pakistan's top court.
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Two hundred rare falcons were reportedly exported to Qatar from Pakistan earlier this year on special permission.
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A customs officer (R) holds on his arm a falcon that was recovered from illegal captivity, during a press briefing with customs authorities in Karachi.
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