Suggested slug: sindh-migratory-birds-hunting-case-chotiari-dam
Category: National News
Focus keyphrase: migratory birds in Sindh
SEO title: Five Booked for Hunting Migratory Birds in Sindh (48 chars)
Meta description: Sindh Wildlife Department has booked five people for illegally hunting migratory birds at Chotiari Dam after a video of the hunt went viral.
Tags: migratory birds, Sindh wildlife, Chotiari Dam, Sanghar, illegal hunting, wildlife conservation, Sindh Wildlife Department
Original element: explainer context — why Chotiari Dam matters on the Indus Flyway winter migration route and the commercial poaching angle (birds sold in local markets), built from the verified facts in the case; internally linked to our Karachi mangroves conservation report.
Five Booked for Illegal Hunting of Migratory Birds at Sindh’s Chotiari Dam
SANGHAR: The Sindh Wildlife Department has registered a case against five people over the illegal hunting of migratory birds in Sindh, after a video allegedly showing the hunt at Chotiari Dam went viral on social media.
The footage shows a man holding a double-barrelled gun aboard a boat, with a large number of hunted birds of different species lying at the front. Photographs of the hunt also circulated online, according to reports.
Wildlife officials moved after the material spread on social media. They registered the case against two named suspects, Mitho Mallah and Ustad Shafi, along with three unidentified individuals.
Migratory birds in Sindh: case filed in Sanghar
The case was filed at the Wildlife Station police station in Sanghar on the complaint of Hussain Bakhsh Khoso. It invokes relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act, 2020.
According to the Wildlife Department, the suspects allegedly hunted birds illegally and sold them in local markets. The commercial angle has sharpened official concern: the birds were not only killed unlawfully but were allegedly being traded.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the protection of migratory birds at Chotiari Dam and the enforcement of wildlife conservation laws in the province.
Why Chotiari Dam matters for migratory birds
Chotiari is one of Sindh’s important wetlands, and wetlands like it are the reason migratory birds visit the province each year. Every winter, birds travelling the Indus Flyway from Central Asia and Siberia stop at Sindh’s lakes, reservoirs and coastal creeks to rest and feed during the colder months. Sanghar district, with its chain of wetlands, sits on that route.
That seasonal arrival is also what draws poachers. Wildlife officials in Sindh have repeatedly warned that the migration season brings a spike in illegal hunting, with birds trapped or shot and sold for meat in local markets. Conservationists have long called for tighter patrolling of wetlands during the winter months and stricter action against the trade.
The pressure on wildlife habitat in the province extends beyond hunting. Karachi’s mangroves, another critical wildlife habitat in Sindh, face their own threats from development and neglect, underlining how enforcement and conservation have to work together.
For now, the Wildlife Department says its focus is on tracing the three unidentified suspects and building the case against all five accused under the 2020 wildlife law.
What happened at Chotiari Dam?
A video and photographs that went viral on social media allegedly showed the illegal hunting of migratory birds at the dam. The footage shows a man with a double-barrelled gun on a boat and a pile of hunted birds of different species.
Who has been booked in the case?
Five people: two named suspects, Mitho Mallah and Ustad Shafi, and three unidentified individuals. The Sindh Wildlife Department registered the case at its Wildlife Station police station in Sanghar.
What law applies to illegal bird hunting in Sindh?
The case invokes the Pakistan Penal Code and the Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act, 2020.
Why do migratory birds come to Sindh?
Birds travelling the Indus Flyway from Central Asia and Siberia stop at Sindh’s wetlands, including Chotiari Dam, each winter to rest and feed. The migration season also brings a rise in illegal hunting, officials say.
*Source: ProPakistani, verified against The Express Tribune*
