Opinion A desert chase

Sheikh Zayed,the ruler of the UAE,had already been allocated a special licence to hunt in no less than eight districts of Balochistan,four in Sindh and three in Punjab,according to a recent report in Dawn. At least 24 other Arab sheikhs and princes have also been granted hunting licences. The houbara bustard,a native of Central Asia which flies to Pakistan among a handful of other countries to escape the harsh winter and to breed each year,was always going to have another tough season in Pakistan.

Arab royalty’s fascination with the houbara has given rise to lurid tales in Pakistan. They eat the houbara’s flesh because they believe it is an aphrodisiac. Massive air-conditioned tent cities spring up in the middle of nowhere. Unbelievable gifts are presented to local elites and officials to look the other way as the terms of special hunting permits are violated. A houbara hunt is the stuff of fantasies and myth.

At least some of it is true. The airstrips were necessitated by the massive cargo-laden planes that follow the royal hunting parties,carrying everything from heavy-duty water and fuel trucks,sophisticated radar- and satellite-tracing equipment,custom-made hunting vehicles,and enormous air-conditioning units and power generators.

But little is actually known about what transpires inside the fortress-like palaces and temporary encampments during the couple of weeks that a hunt typically lasts. The fabulously rich and powerful hunting parties float in and out of the country like ghosts,and multiple layers of security keep curious onlookers well away.

Just as unclear: how many houbara are left? In Pakistan,locals have been banned from hunting the houbara since 1972 and it has been declared an endangered species internationally since 1975,but no reliable estimate of the bird’s population exists.

What is clear,according to local environmentalists,is that since the Arabs started travelling to Pakistan to hunt the bird after driving it to near extinction in the Middle East in the 1960s,the houbara’s population in Pakistan has declined drastically. Several years ago,the official bag limit per hunt was cut by half to 100. But because bag limits are routinely flouted and illegal hunting also occurs,it is estimated that three or four times the official limit of 2,500-3,000 birds are hunted each year.

The hunt itself is scarcely romantic or heroic today. What was once a test of man’s wits against a fast,tricky prey has been reduced to a technology-driven virtual non-battle. Radar and satellite imaging is used to track down the elusive bustard as convoys of SUVs race across the flat desert guided by the beeping and blipping of tracking equipment.

When a bustard is finally spotted,a trained falcon is released. As the winged hunter sets off in pursuit of its prey,the SUV convoy follows,now guided by the radio tag attached to the falcon.

An adult bustard has a wingspan of about five feet and is fast and tricky enough to evade the pursuing falcon for some time. More often than not,however,the falcon eventually gets its prey,leaving the injured or dead bustard to be scooped up by the pursuing humans as it tumbles to the earth below.

Fair fight or not,the hunts are a matter of great pride and prestige for the sheikhs and princes. The special hunting licences issued by Pakistan are much coveted and their award can have diplomatic fallouts. President Zardari,close to the UAE royals,has favoured Abu Dhabi and Dubai sheikhs in the award of the permits,much to the displeasure of the Saudis. In 2009,Zardari had to send his sister as a special emissary to Saudi Arabia to smooth over ruffled royal feathers.

Another urgent mission may be required this year: while UAE sheikhs have been granted 12 permits,the Saudis have been given only one licence this year as opposed to the usual two that they receive.

The writer,an assistant editor with ‘Dawn’,is based in Karachi
express@expressindia.com