Hunting of rare birds continues unabated in the hilly areas of Kohistan Namak in Khushab district despite an official ban on it. Notwithstanding the actions taken by the Anti-Poaching Department, influential poachers had turned a blind eye to the ban and were bent upon exterminating the species of Ariyal and other wildlife. Ariyal is found in the hill ranges of Chakwal, Jhelum, Khushab and Attock. It is the beauty of this mountain range, but this beautiful animal was being used as meal by the influential people.

In the Kohistan mountain range, rabbits and other rare wild animals were being hunted.

Hunting of the rare Siberian fowl had been going on in Noorpur Thal area. Lack of personnel in the government department is making it difficult to control it.

It is a matter of great concern that even when the animals were pregnant, the poachers do not spare them, thus depriving the cubs of their mother.

Similarly, quail hunting is on the rise in Thal area. In the winter, they are caught and sold to the big hotels at exorbitant rates. Recorded sounds were used to catch quails. The beautiful bird is captured by the poachers at night by playing the prerecorded quail sound on a tape recorder.

The rare herons and other waterfowl come to the Uchhali Lake, the Khabeki Lake and the Jahler Lake after travelling from the world’s coldest lakes during winter, but here they got hunted by poachers.

Officials of the anti-poaching department are helpless in stopping poaching. The Assistant Director of Wildlife of District Khushab, Rana Mohammad Ashfaq, told The Express Tribune that the strictest legal measures were being taken to stop poaching. He said 19 poachers of Ariyal and falcons were caught in a single day, and two slaughtered Ariyals recovered from their possession. The accused were fined Rs 250,000 while the falcon hunters were fined Rs 350,000.

The slaughtered animals were presented at a local court, which were auctioned for Rs 170,000 through an open auction on the orders of the court, and the money was deposited in the national treasury.

Apart from this, the wildlife staff of Khushab had recovered a rare falcon, “Bahri”, from a person on a bus.