Lahore’s pigeons are vanishing in plain sight

Areeba Rasheed

June 23, 2019

People urge wildlife dept to save them 

The number of wild pigeons in Lahore, which were once spotted hovering over buildings, is slowly and steadily declining.  

The birds frequently flock near Istanbul Chowk, Data Darbar, Mall Road, Jain Temple, and Shahi Qila, where many people feed them too.

"I love these birds, but I have noticed that their number is decreasing by the day," said a resident. "The wildlife department should do something about it."

Naeem Bhatti, who is the deputy director of the wildlife department, remarked that the birds have been disappearing because of fatal diseases. "One of the most common diseases that affect them is the Newcastle Disease," he said. The Newcastle disease is a contagious viral bird disease that affects many wild and domestic birds and it can even be transmitted to humans.

"To stop the spread of the disease, the birds can be given vaccines and antibiotics," he explained. "Administering them vaccines will protect them from lethal diseases."

More than 40% of bird species across the globe are in decline, according to the 2018 State of the World’s Birds. The report says that 1,469 bird species globally are threatened with extinction.

It identified agricultural expansion and intensification, deforestation, and hunting as the biggest threats to the population of birds. “The threats driving the extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making…and most species are impacted by multiple, interrelated threats,” it says.

Source

Ban on Houbara Bustard to be decided at next hearing: LHC

Shahzad Ahmad

March 12, 2019

LAHORE - The Houbara Bustard Commission headed by Dr Pervez Hassan on Monday submitted a report and requested the Lahore High Court that the hunting of houbara bustard be banned till the next survey.

The Lahore High Court on Monday remarked that the issue of imposing a ban on the hunting of houbara bustard will be decided on April 6, the next date of hearing, and directed the government to file reply in the case.

The commission submitted that after survey of 2018 the houbara bustard specie is decreasing hence its hunting be banned till the final survey report.

Justice Shakilur Rehman Khan observed that if the federal government could file objections before the next date of hearing it can do so. The court adjourned the hearing till April 6 and observed that the court will make an order on the next date of hearing regarding imposition of ban on the hunting of the rare species. Sheraz Zaka Advocate and Kalim Illyas on behalf of petitioners submitted that houbara bustard is vulnerable specie. They submitted that the government be restrained from allowing hunting permits before the next survey to be held in November. They submitted that in the light of survey report houbara bustard is deteriorating and hence foreign dignitaries not be allowed to hunt.

Commission submits report to court on situation about endangered bird

Read on

Rare Indian hornbill sighted in City

LAHORE : Sighting an Indian hornbill, a rare and nearly extinct bird, on a busy road gave an exciting feeling and the first thought came to mind that this creature is really living with us in the provincial metropolis.

An Indian hornbill sitting on a big Jaman (jamul) tree on Canal Bank Road opposite GOR attracted a number of motorists who parked their bikes and cars along the road to sight the unusual and unexpected appearance of the bird. The bird, probably a male one, was sitting on a branch of a big tree and a nearby hole in the trunk suggesting that it was his home.

Rapid urbanisation of the provincial capital has emptied the skies and presently the most commonly seen birds in the city including common house sparrows, pigeons, bulbuls, doves, mynas, crows and kites.

According to WWF-Pakistan, grey hornbill is termed ‘species of concern’ as their numbers are rapidly declining. Environmental experts said a bird survey done in 1965 revealed that 240 bird species live in Lahore while another survey in 1992 revealed that out of 240 species, only 101 bird species remained and recent individual surveys revealed that only 30 to 50 species were living in Lahore.

Experts said female Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) sits on eggs and the male bird gives her pellets of mud with which she seals herself into the cavity along with her excreta, so that only her beak came outside and the male flies to and fro, feeding her through the incubation period. They said open hole suggested that there were no eggs in it.

This scribe also stood by the tree and watched the rare sight. It was very heartening to feel that Indian grey hornbill is still being found in this overcrowded city, especially on one of its busiest roads. Bird experts in the city said that the Indian grey hornbill was one of the native birds of Lahore but with time their population is reduced a lot and not only a few pair of the birds lives in the city.

Continued  

Whither our feathered friends? Concrete jungle pushing out Lahore’s birds

LAHORE: As Lahore’s green cover slowly gives way to concrete structures and urban development, the city’s birds must find a place to go. And though there have been no surveys on the migration pattern or population of birds in Lahore, Dr Uzma Khan of the WWF-Pakistan, says it doesn’t take much to notice that Lahore’s ecosystem has suffered badly over the past decade. 

Khan, director of biodiversity at the WWF, says the last survey of the ecosystem was conducted when the government cut trees along the Lahore Canal to widen the road. “The ecosystem changes with increasing urbanisation and yet there has been no assessment of bird migration in the city.”

The old endemic trees of the city’s gardens, once a popular haunt of fruit bats and several resident bird species and many summer, winter and transit migrants, are now limited to a few sites including Lawrence Garden and the Punjab University’s New Campus, she says.

On the other hand, the population of scavenger birds, including mynahs, crows and kites, is on the rise. The birds live off human waste and sometimes feed on the young of smaller birds. “This, too, creates an imbalance in the ecosystem.”

She says Lahore was once home to several species that feed on fruit – including the grey hornbill, green pigeons, woodpeckers, barbets and parakeets. “Now you can rarely spot them.” The Indian roller and kingfisher birds can be spotted in former agricultural, recently urbanised, areas, she says. “Piling on concrete in such areas cannot bode well for the birds.”

Continued ...

Bird conservation: Learning about vultures and how to protect them

LAHORE:

Children from several public schools participated in an event organised by the World Wide Fund-Pakistan (WWF) on Saturday to create awareness about conservation of vultures.

The event was held at the Lahore Zoo. It included screening of a 40-minute documentary titled Missing Vultures. The documentary was produced by Ali Ejaz and funded by the WWF.

There were several gaming competitions to educate students about vulture conservation and a lucky draw in which four families won a free visit in November to the WWF’s Vulture Conservation Centre at Changa Maanga.


Continued: http://tribune.com.pk/story/429940/bird-conservation-learning-about-vultures-and-how-to-protect-them/