| A group of poachers and retired Major Tanveer Hussein Shah (in circle) with carcasses of two great Indian bustards killed in Cholistan Desert. |
The great Indian bustard has suffered drastically in its homeland from threats such as poaching and habitat loss in the form of electric power lines resulting in collision-related mortalities. But now, this magnificent yet critically endangered bird has fallen prey in the hands of people in India's next-door neighbor: Pakistan. This comes from a recent shooting of two bustards by a group of poachers led by retired Pakistan Army Major Tanveer Hussein Shah in Cholistan Desert. The group had shot down the birds in a protected area of Cholistan game reserve in southern Punjab earlier this month. In addition to that, they also attacked wildlife officials who tried to stop them from hunting bustards and chinkaras (Indian gazelles). The incident sparked shock and outrage among wildlife activists in India's Rajasthan state. Harsh Vardhan, honorary secretary of the Tourism & Wildlife Society of India (TWSI), castigated the killing while expressing surprise that people in Pakistan continued to kill the bustards. He also indicated that the bustards crossed the border into Pakistan from Rajasthan making them easy target for poachers. The TWSI has sent a letter to the Pakistan High Commission requesting an investigation by the country's government and demanding severe punishment to the poachers. A Pakistani environmentalism group called Save the Wild has sought the mediation of Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the issue, since the main offender is a retired officer. The group also requested General Bajwa to guarantee the survival of Cholistan's wildlife, so that the great Indian bustard is protected.
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| View of Rajasthan's Desert National Park, the last stronghold for the great Indian bustard. |
I cannot express how shocking and horrendous it is to see how the great Indian bustard has been falling victim in the hands of people in Pakistan. But what really troubles me about this news is the location of where this incident happened. The Cholistan habitat was found to be an ideal place for the bustards since there had never been any presence of cattle in the area based on surveys by India's Project Bustard initiative. Even though India has been conducting captive-breeding of these birds with sixteen chicks now being reared in Desert National Park, the future of the great Indian bustard is still bleak. I strongly believe that stringent protective measurements need to be ensured for the survival of the bustard on both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. Although found in India, some bustard populations migrate to Pakistan where the species had once disappeared. The amount of hunting pressure in Pakistan is high and there is no greater proof of it than this news. I highly urge the government of Pakistan to undertake strong measurements in protecting the great Indian bustard. This includes administering harsh punishments to military officials, visiting dignitaries, and anybody regardless of social status involved in killing of this bird and other wildlife. I would like to point out that Major Tanveer Hussein Shah and his accomplices attacked wildlife officials who tried to stop them. These men need to be made an example of to send a message to anyone, local or foreign, that killing of great Indian bustard is unacceptable.
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