Permission of partridge hunting withdrawn

The provincial Wildlife and Parks Department has withdrawn permission of partridge hunting from Jhelum and Sohawa tehsils of the province because of mass scale hunting of the bird soon after the launch of partridge hunting season 2017-18. As per the notification issued here on Tuesday, the department received information that after the inauguration of 'Partridge Hunting Season 2017-18', hunters in Jhelum and Sohawa tehsils of District Jhelum went on a mass scale hunting of the bird on first day of the hunting season (November 19, 2017). Such massive scale hunting is a potent threat to the existing population of partridge in the area.
In order to save the existing partridge population from extinction in Tehsil Jhelum, the department revised its decision to the extent of these tehsils and banned partridge hunting with immediate effect. Nevertheless, Dina and Pind Dadan Khan tehsils of the District Jhelum will remain opened for the partridge hunting during the hunting season 2017-18, said the notification.
Meanwhile, during a departmental meeting, Director General Wildlife & Parks Department Khalid Ayyaz Khan expressed his concern that field officers were submitting reports that hunters throw away leftover food, polythene bags, disposable plates, glass and soft drink tins at the place of hunting which may cause threat to the life of wildlife.
He said hunters should prove to be environment and wildlife friendly by properly disposing off their food leftover or other things. He asked the field officers to create awareness among the hunters about their duties towards wildlife. He said hunting is a sport and not just a way to get meat, so hunters should not cross the limit of birds prescribed for hunting.
Khalid Ayyaz Khan while talking about banning two tehsils of Jhelum for partridge hunting said that the ban had been clamped because of information received from the field officers. He asked the hunters to abide by the rules of sport in 41 tehsils which were opened for partridge hunting and warned that strict action would be taken against violators.