Migrating Ducks get a raw deal in Chitral

Ducks migrating from the warmer waters of the south to the cooler Siberian plains, at this time of the year pass through Chitral valley. Just when a flock of this unfortunate bird finds a suitable patch of water to land and take a breather, it is greeted by cruel ‘hunters’ waiting stealthily behind a cover with fingers on the trigger of their shotguns .Many of these addicted bird killers prepare artificial ponds and lakes to lure in the unsuspecting guests and snare them or shoot them. To the ducks, the Chitralis must be appearing to be the fiercest nation on earth ,whereas the fact is that while dealing with other human beings on an equal footing, we exhibit traits quite to the contrary.

Very soon the wild dove, an emblem of innocence and peace, a treat to watch and hear cooing,would appear in the ‘Goorzains’ of Chitral. The gun trotting, bird killing, fundos would again take up upon themselves to annihilate this beautiful creature.

Cruelty to birds and other harmless animals unfortunately is a legacy of our past. “Boik Doozhi” which means mass killing of sparrows and other small birds while they are sleeping in their nests in the very domestic garden of the ‘hunter’ at night is one of the bizarre sports of the past which thank God is getting extinct now.

When Chitral News questioned one of the committed ‘Shikaris’ as to what enmity did he have with the innocent birds? He promptly replied “I kill them because I like them”.

“Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be known
Some do it with a loving word
Some do it with a sword” — Shakespeare

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