Death of birds in the name of "captivity and freedom"

Millions of birds are killed every year in Pakistan during the "capture and release" trap. Poachers capture different types of birds and then release them in the name of charity for money. This business is on the rise in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. 

Provincial wildlife protection departments are also involved in this business of trapping birds, which is why the business is growing rather than dying out. Birds, crows, lalians, bulbuls, and other birds in cages can be seen in many places in Punjab's capital, Lahore, especially on Canal Road, GT Road Shalamar, Data Darbar, Azadi Chowk, Liberty, MM Alam Road, Gulberg, and Anarkali. So the hunters search. Citizens free these birds by paying money to these poachers. Many birds die of hunger and thirst in this game of capture and freedom. 

The trapping and release of these wild birds across the country seem to be increasing rather than decreasing. A senior officer of Punjab Wildlife, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a few years ago there were only four big dealers in Lahore, but now there are dozens of them. Many lower-level employees of the department also do this work. 

In Lahore, on the one hand, due to the increasing population, traffic, and other reasons, the number of wild birds is decreasing very much, but many birds are not seen anymore. However, where do these hunters get these birds in such large numbers? Speaking to the news in this regard, Punjab Wildlife officials said that these birds are mostly caught in agricultural areas, especially where there are canals, rivers, and lakes. In Lahore, these birds can be seen frequently at Shahdara Forest, Changamanga, Jalawar, and Canal Road. Similarly, these birds are found in abundance in the Indo-Pak border area, where hunters catch them with the help of nets, and then they are brought and sold in different cities, including Lahore. 

Saleem, a hunter who sells birds on MM Alam Road in Lahore, said that he does not catch these birds himself and that, including all the people who are selling them in the city, they are bigger than those at Data Darbar, Tolanton Market, and Canal Road Bird Market and come from dealers. They get a commission to free the birds. 10 to 20 rupees per bird. Salim said that bird release rates vary from region to region. In the areas of Data Darbar, Lari Ada, and Shalamar, a bird and a pair of crows are released for two hundred rupees, but if it is the area of Defense or Gulbarg, then one thousand rupees is also available. Salim says he knows it is not right to keep birds in captivity, but they are their source of livelihood.

No organization, including Punjab Wildlife, has any accurate data regarding the capture and release of birds. However, it's estimated that every year, just in Lahore, about 500,000 birds are captured. An average bird releaser in Lahore releases 50 to 60 birds per day, and the number of these hunters is 20 to 25. Every day, approximately one and a half thousand birds are released in the name of charity in this manner. 

According to experts, up to 35 percent of birds die during capture from the wild, migration from one city to another, and then confinement in cages. Punjab wildlife staff also take action against these poachers, but after minor fines, these people are released while the detained birds are set free. After being in captivity for many days, when these birds are released, many are not even able to fly, and often such birds become food for hungry birds flying in the air of the city. Some birds are not included in the schedule of protected birds, including crows, herons, etc. Catching these birds is not an offense under the Wildlife Act.

Punjab Wildlife Board and WWF Board Member Badar Munir told the news that they had in the past started a campaign to stop these poachers from selling birds and start doing something properly. Many hunters have been given money from their own pockets to start their businesses, but after a few days, those people leave the job and start this work of "freedom" of birds again. If the government is strict, this work can be stopped. 

Badr Munir suggested that, along with operations within the city, there is a need to prevent these birds from being smuggled by installing gates at the entrances of the city. For this, Punjab Wildlife should hire the services of the Punjab Police, as Wildlife itself does not have enough field staff to deploy them on the noses, while police personnel is present. Even within the city, dolphin police and traffic police should be tasked with taking action against bird sellers. The big dealers in Lahore have taken licenses to buy and sell birds, and under the guise of this, they also do business with these birds. 

The spokesperson for Punjab Wildlife says that they take continuous action against those who capture the birds. Citizens are also requested to discourage such elements. Instead of taking birds from them and releasing them, immediately report it to wildlife or the police helpline so that action can be taken against such people.