Authorities plan to ban parahawking
AKANSHYA SHAH
KATHMANDU, Feb 16: After nine years of turning a blind eye to illegal parahawking business flourishing in Pokhara, forest officials have finally geared up for an outright ban on all parahawking activities run by British national Scott Mason.
Mason, who is running the business in the name of bird rescue and rehabilitation, is in possession of five Black Kites (Milvus migrans) and two Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus), which are included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2006 and 2009, respectively. He also has two Steppe Eagles at present. The case was revealed by myrepublica.com on February 1.
“We will take action against all those involved in parahawking and free the birds,” Kaski District Forest Officer Bissu Babu Tiwari told myrepublica.com on Monday.
Tiwari also said the operators, who own Himalayan Raptor Rescue, had some time ago sought permission for carrying forward the business. “Some people came to me asking for license to run the rehabilitation center. But we cannot provide them that as there is no record of rehabilitation of any bird by the organization,” Tiwari added.
He said no bird/animal can be kept in custody without obtaining license from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. He, however, said the District Forest Office was “unaware” of the illegal activities through all these years.
Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohara, too, has said that the illegal operation “will be banned.”
“We will stop Mason and keep the birds elsewhere, most probably at Godavari,” Bohara told myrepublica.com.
Animal rights groups and conservationists, on the other hand, have called for an immediate action but have said that the rescued birds should not be freed in the wild at once.
WWF-Nepal´s Diwakar Chapagain said WWF will support the authorities in this regard.
“The authorities who should have long banned parahawking must at least now take immediate actions to stop Mason and take charge of the birds in his possession,” Manoj Gautam, a conservationist, said.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=15198
hora dai, it should ban
This is completely false, and no respectable animal rights activist organization should be spreading such wrong statements on their site.
I have been to Pokhara and to Maya Devi to visit the birds in question. They were rescued from illness and death and are well cared for and protected at their home in Maya Devi. Releasing them into the wild would guarantee their death as they are not able to survive in the wild.
Calling for their release is shortsighted and thoughtless. It sounds more like you’re trying to hurt Mr. Mason instead of helping the birds. I don’t understand why you aren’t thinking logically about what will actually happen to them after they’re released.
*I have no affiliation with parahawking or Mr. Mason*
I guess before taking such kind of actions, authorities must visit themselves and see if the birds are well kept and well fed. If that is the case then the man should be allowed to carry on with his plan of conservation else authorities can take necessary action. I beleive authorites instead of doing everything themselves must dictate proper animal conservation points to the ones who are doing it and then let them do it under the authorities supervision.
This is preposterous!!! As a bird rehabber and educator I assure you that if these birds are released into the wild as proposed they will die!!! The birds in the care of Mr. Mason were orphaned and raised by humans instead of birds and do not posess the skills to survive on their own. The Parahawking employees are working to help save vultures in Asia and around the world through education and medical rehabilitation. Banning Parahawking is a death sentence for wild vultures around the world!!!
I urge you all to get the facts about birds in captivity before you go releasing them into an environment where they will surely die!!!!
Good intentions perhaps but you’re talking nonsense. Parahawing funds the rescue and care of birds that would otherwise die. Scott releases those wild birds that can survive in the wild but the birds that were rescued when young have no skills to live in the wild and if released will die, period. What you’re calling for is the death of all those birds. Why?
Also Scott and his raptor rescue are major supporters of the vulture restaurant in Pokhara, as well as most bird conservation efforts in Nepal and India. I would be interested to know how much money and effort, “Animal Rights Nepal” has put toward saving birds in the region. I suspect very little. Real support would help a lot more than un-informed attacks on those doing more.
Hello. I am a world citizen, and have been a fan of birds of prey since I was a small child. I am also a student of philosophy, and have studied under Holmes Rolston III (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_Rolston_III) As a person is is concerned about land use, ethics, and environmental issues, I strongly believe it is in the best interest of the birds, the land, and the government to allow concerned parties to manage sustainable activities, rather than ban or regulate. Please contact me if you need further information. I would love to come to Pokhara and support the local economy by my visit. Scott Mason is, I believe, doing good work in many areas. He has created a win-win-win situation for the birds, tourism, and the people he educates and entertains. May the birds thrive, and may many people get to enjoy the beauty of this area.