Abu Dhabi prince in Pakistan to hunt Houbara bustards after govt grants permission

In brief:

• Houbara bustards are considered to be at the risk of extinction
• According to Arab tradition, the meat of the bird contains an aphrodisiac
• In 2016, SC lifted a ban on hunting the endangered species to maintain relations with Gulf states

THARPARKAR: A prince from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday arrived in the district of Sindh with his team to hunt for endangered Houbara bustards after the federal government granted them permission for falconry.

The meat of the Houbara bustard — also known as Asian Houbara — is considered to be an aphrodisiac, which is why Arab princes travel to Pakistan to hunt the rare migratory bird that arrives from Central Asia.

It is also one of the royals' favourite sports and, therefore, is seen as 'soft diplomacy' between Pakistan and the Arab world.

Read more: Is there no saving the Houbara Bustard?

"The royal princes will hunt for the Houbara bustard," the deputy conservator for Mirpurkhas Division at the Sindh Wildlife Department Mir Aijaz Ali Talpur confirmed.

"The permission [for hunting] has been granted by the federal government," Talpur added.

The prince's delegation comprises six Abu Dhabi nationals and three Pakistanis, the Sindh Wildlife Department said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Houbara bustard as a vulnerable species, with a global population ranging from 50,000 to 100,000, according to Reuters.

Read more: 'Unprecedented, historic': Pakistan Customs recovers birds worth millions in Karachi operation

It has almost vanished from the Arabian peninsula and, per the Guardian, is considered to be at the risk of extinction.

In 2016, the Supreme Court of Pakistan lifted a ban on hunting the bird after the government argued it hurt relations with Gulf states, whose wealthy hunters traditionally travel to Pakistan to pursue the endangered species with falcons.

Critics, however, say hunting with falcons — a practice Arab nomads used to survive life in the desert and is now arguably the most elaborate blood sport in the world — is today a reckless hobby that threatens the Houbara bustard.