BSF catches Pakistan trained falcon from Anupgadh near International Border

A trained falcon from Pakistan has been caught by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Anupgadh near the International Border in Rajasthan's Bikaner District.

However, no transmitter or antenna has been found on it. As per the BSF sources, the trained falcon probably belongs to Saudi sheikhs who hunt Houbara bustards in Pakistan. It has been handed over to the Forest Department of Anupgadh. A tag has been found on the falcon's body.

The Houbara bustard is an endangered migratory bird, whose meat is prized by elite Arab sheikhs for its aphrodisiac value. It is listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention, and is declared as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Each year, several thousand Houbara bustards traverse a 2,000-km migratory route from Central Asia to the southern deserts of Pakistan and Iran, and return with the onset of summer.