AL-ASYAH, 24 August — The bird-shooting season starts here, in the center of the Arabian Peninsula, tomorrow.
Hundreds will set out on trips deep into the heart of the desert in search of the rare birds stopping over in the Arabian Peninsula on their way from northern Asia to Africa, hoping to find respite from the scorching sun by landing in trees.
Campsites for the shooters have sprung up throughout the region’s valleys and farms.
The number of birds killed by each hunter varies greatly.
“We can kill up to 200 birds a day,” one hunter said, while plucking the feathers of small birds piled in front of him.
Abdullah Al-Ahmad, who campaigns against such hunting, has criticized the role played by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Develop-ment.
“They seem unaware of what is happening to these poor birds,” he said, and he asked for awareness programs to be launched for the shooters and more strict hunting rules to be implemented.
Bird-shooting is also practiced by youngsters, and every year there are reports of children themselves being injured, said Ahmad Al-Mutairy, an amateur hunter in Qassim.
Calendars are produced by local astronomers detailing the migration patterns of the birds that enter the Kingdom’s desert.
According to one calendar, the birds will return next April from Africa, and it warns hunters that at that time the birds may be infected with Rift Valley Fever.
