Three falcons recovered from suspects in Gwadar

Three endangered falcons were recovered from suspects during a raid in Gwadar Friday night.

The Customs officials said that they conducted the raid on a tip-off.

The falcons were being smuggled from Iran to Jiwani, said the officials, adding that they are worth millions of rupees.

The birds have been handed over to the wildlife department and will soon be released into the wild.

Wildlife traffickers catch falcons in the mountainous north, often to sell them for profit in the Gulf region, where hunting with the birds is a sport.

In October, the customs foiled an attempt to smuggle 75 endangered falcons and a houbara bustard.

They called this an “unprecedented” anti-smuggling operation.

“The birds are listed as rare and endangered species and their trade is strictly banned,” said Customs officer Mohammad Saqif Saeed.

He did not identify the species of the birds but estimated their value to be around Rs200 million (over $1 million) on the black market.

Two suspects were arrested and the birds were released into the wild.