Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) on their official Facebook page announced that “the business of selling passerines for a blessing” will soon be declared a “criminal offence”.
PAWS in their Facebook post stated, “The business of selling passerines for a blessing on the streets of Karachi will soon be declared a criminal offence thanks to the tireless efforts of our team. Birds such as mynahs, sparrows, robins, munias and chats are captured by trappers from the suburban areas of the city.”
“Crammed into suffocating makeshift cages the birds suffer immensely while the trappers cash in on people’s emotions to complete the cruel chain by doing the ‘good deed’ of setting them free again,” the post added.
“However, most of the birds are dehydrated and exhausted after being shaken in sacks all day under the burning sun and perish soon after in the concrete jungle far away from their source of food and shelter,” the post said.
It further stated that the Sindh Wildlife Department used to acknowledge this behaviour as a “livelihood” and it “wrongfully issued permits to hawkers” that allowed for this business to flourish in the city.
