RIYADH, 17 November 2007 — This year’s hunting season that begins on Dec. 20 will not include bird species, according to a statement from the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD). The decision is a measure to combat the spread of avian flu in the Kingdom.
The Agriculture Ministry confirmed this past week that 50,000 birds were culled from a poultry farm near Riyadh after about 1,500 chickens on the farm had reportedly died from the virus. The move to ban bird hunting precedes the events at the farm.
Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, had issued a directive against bird hunting (often done with predatory falcons) following the death of a woman attributed to avian flu last year. The directive states that the Kingdom is free from H5N1 except for “sporadic incidents”. The recent announcement by the NCWCD is a reminder of the directive as the hunting season approaches.
Under Saudi conservation law, only one mammal species can be legally hunted each season while licenses to hunt non-threatened bird species are usually allowed every hunting season. However, only licenses to hunt rabbits will be issued in the coming season. Hunters will not be allowed to use firearms and must hunt rabbits with traps, dogs or falcons.
Hunters are not allowed to hunt in the 16 protected areas, in the Empty Quarter or in places close to urban settlements. Hunters are warned not to target endangered mammal or bird species, such as oryx, gazelle, ibex, the Arabian leopard or the ostrich.
In order to disseminate the rules and regulations regarding the hunting of threatened species the NCWCD regularly meets with members of the public living around protected areas to teach locals the values of wildlife conservation.
The NCWCD and the ministries of agriculture, municipal and rural affairs and health have been working across the country to maintain vigilance against H5N1. Last year the Kingdom began shutting down live poultry shops inside Saudi urban centers as a preventative measure.
