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When I worked for the Department of Environmental Conservation in Iran, hunting houbara bustards was a popular activity on the part of the Persian elites (this was back in the era of Mohamed Reza Phalavi, the Shah of Iran). Hunting expeditions would go to the national parks and game reserves where - as Ian suggests - the local game guards simply turned a blind eye. When I was at Arjan National Park there was such a hunting expedition one weekend where upper-crust Persians chased houbara bustards around with land rovers. Who knows if such activities still go on in present-day Iran, but such beliefs are slow to change. Look at the wealthy hunters who still pay small fortunes to hunt polar bears in the Canadian arctic: http://www.polarbearhunting.net/ Cheers, Chris On 31-Jan-12, at 9:30 AM, iamclar@DAL.CA wrote: > All: > > I believe that the "sport" involved in falconry carried out by idle- > rich sheiks from the Middle East and brings $ millions into local > economies, hence is overlooked by regional and national authorities. > Inter alia, there is evidently a belief that the bustard's flesh is > aphrodisiac. Thrill of the chase, money and sex - a powerful mix. > There was an exposé some years ago in the "New Yorker." > > Ian > Ian McLaren > > Quoting John and Nhung <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>: > >> "Sport" can be pretty obscene sometimes, can't it? >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca >> ] >> On Behalf Of Annabelle Thiebaux >> Sent: January-31-12 7:16 AM >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> Subject: [NatureNS] ?! >> >>> The houbara bustard, a gentle desert bird native to Central Asia, >>> has >>> been poached to near-extinction despite being protected under >>> Pakistani law. These birds need your help! >>> >>> The Sindh Wildlife Department has full authority to control sport >>> hunting. However, influential local personalities support this >>> tradition, and the law is not enforced. >> >>> These birds are crucial to maintaining the biodiversity of the >>> Middle >>> East and Central Asia, but are expected to go extinct in as little >>> as >>> 15 years if sport hunting is kept up. >>> >> >> >> > > >
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