220 captive-bred Houbara Bustards to be released soon

LAHORE

Director General Wildlife and Parks Punjab Khalid Ayaz Khan has said all arrangements have been finalised to release 220 captive-bred Houbara Bustards in Lal Suhanra Park’s Houbara Chinkara enclosure.

He was presiding over a meeting regarding the arrangements to release Houbara Bustards. Senior officers of the Wildlife Department were also present. DG Wildlife told the meeting that these Houbara Bustard had been donated by International Fund for Houbara Conservation based in Dubai and United Arab Emirates. He said that on behalf of the Department and President Houbara Foundation Pakistan and establishment of Abu Dhabi, exchange exports and import permits along with necessary NOCs had been completed.

He hoped that since these birds were of the bloodline of Pakistan’s residence, most of the birds would settle for breeding to repopulate the Pakistani resident Houbara Bustard and would also help in keeping Houbara population in normal population.

Khalid Ayaz Khan told the meeting that senior office-bearers of Houbara International Foundation Mujahid Al-Mansoori will arrive in Pakistan on February 14 alogn with 220 Houbara Bustard at 2.00am and on 15th of February 2016 at 9.00am, these Houbara Bustard would be released. He said a special ceremony would also be held at Lal Suhanra Parks Houbara Chinkara enclosure in this regard wherein senior officers of the Punjab Wildlife Department and office-bearers of Houbara Internaitonal Foundation would also attend the ceremony.

Khalid Ayaz said all the birds had been individually tagged with identification rings while selected birds were also tagged with satellite transmitter for scientists to carry out monitoring of the birds after release and record their movement, habitat preferences and the ability to breed. After the release, the data will be generated biweekly in order to detect movements and their breeding behaviours.