Ten days after 98 hunting falcons of a Qatari royal were detained by Customs authorities, 47 birds of prey were finally released in the wild on Tuesday as per laws – after their owner could not turn up with proper legal documentation. Late Monday night, Pakistan Customs officials had handed over the confiscated falcons – albeit only 53 – to the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD). The customs authorities had detained 98 falcons but returned 24 birds to the owner when he provided the legal documents. Later, 19 birds went missing under mysterious circumstances, leaving only 53 falcons that were to be released as per the law. Early Tuesday morning, the wildlife department officials, including provincial conservator Saeed Baloch and SWD game inspector Muhammad Mumtaz, took the hunting birds to the Khar Centre in Khirthar National Park to release them.
Beside falcons, the wildlife officials also released four Houbara bustards that were confiscated along with the falcons. However, six falcons were not released as the wildlife officers claimed that these birds were not yet ready to be released and will be treated before being released later. Meanwhile, sources in SWD told Pakistan Today that Pakistan Customs had replaced 25 precious falcons of high-quality breed with a low quality species.
