Saudi Prince Hunt
April 24, 2014 by staff
Saudi Prince Hunt, LAHORE, Pakistan – Gulf Arab sheiks have long enjoyed close ties with Pakistan, but a Saudi prince’s recent shooting spree, which culled more than 2,000 rare birds from preserves, has stirred outrage in the country, just as Saudi Arabia propped up its economy with a $1.5 billion loan.
Pakistan’s English-language daily newspaper Dawn broke the story this week based on a forest service report, “Visit of Prince Fahad bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud regarding hunting of houbara bustard,” which detailed a three-week safari the prince and his entourage took. In all, the Saudi hunting party bagged 2,100 endangered houbara bustards. The prince, who owns a U.K.-built 270-foot motor superyacht and has a website depicting his philanthropic ventures, racked up the high score: 1,977 rare birds.
The houbara bustard appears on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List as vulnerable to extinction, with Pakistan’s population of 110,000 feared to be decreasing by 30 percent a year. The prince’s hunting party pursued the bustards on bird and wildlife sanctuaries and unprotected land across Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province.
The birds are globally protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Pakistan’s government has long issued special bustard hunting permits to royals from Persian Gulf states, but they are usually limited to 100 over 10 days in certain areas, excluding reserves. The royal party apparently violated the permits and took down birds over the limit in reserves and protected areas.
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