A large wild boar went on a rampage Thursday in Taishi, Hyogo Prefecture, leaving eight people, mostly senior citizens, injured.

A 62-year-old woman was severely injured after being bit by the animal in her leg and stomach, while a schoolgirl, 13, and six residents in their 60s and 70s also sustained injuries, none of them life-threatening, police and fire officials said.

The Tatsuno Police Station said the boar first took aim at a woman, biting her in her yard before heading east.

Later in the day, a boar measuring 1.5 meters long and weighing 80 to 100 kg, was found dead on a nearby road after apparently being hit by a car. The police suspect it was the same boar that attacked the residents.

Miyuki Tada, 68, was knocked over by the boar while chatting with a friend on a street.

She suffered two broken ribs.

“The boar came almost out of nowhere, and before I knew it, it rushed toward me,” Tada said.

While trying to flee she crouched down, hurting her back in the process, before managing to take refuge inside her car.

While the boar was still running loose, Taishi officials issued a warning to local residents.

The attack came only days after an express train in the city of Wakayama hit a wild boar and had to make an emergency stop.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013 ... -hyogo-town/#.UXDH6Eri7GE

Two rhino poachers were shot dead early Wednesday morning in India’s Kaziranga National Park by forest guards, who also found a .303 rifle and an axe near their location. The killings are the result of a recent effort by Indian authorities to combat the illegal trade of ivory and animal skin. Two poachers managed to flee the scene before guards, who have been working in conjunction with intelligence units, could apprehend them.

Earlier this month authorities found the remains of a rhinoceros that had been killed and stripped of its horn. That discovery was the second in the past week and the twelfth this year. The killings and their ensuing publicity have drawn attention to the rhinos' plight in India.

“We engaged a strong group of forest guards to launch an operation in Agoratoli forest range [located roughly 150 miles east of the state capital, Guwahati] last night. During their night-long operation, our staff came upon a group of poachers in a dense part of the forest and tried to chase them,” Divisional Forest Officer Shil Sharma told the Times of India.

“But, on seeing forest guards, the poachers first opened fire and then fled towards the bank of the Brahmaputra. By morning, our foresters [cornered] them on the bank of the river and started retaliation firing. Two of them died on the spot and two others managed to escape the attack.”

Sharma told the Times of India the poachers have not been identified, but based on their appearance they seem to be between 20 and 25 years old and from a local tribal community.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Indian forest guards have designated 153 mini-camps to combat poaching and protect rhinos. Still, experts said, they’re able to “sneak in” and “resort to all sorts of tactics that include digging pits to trap them.”

Two species of Asian rhino - the Sumatran and the Javan - are listed as endangered species. At least 21 rhinos were killed last year, according to Sky News. The large beast is popular across Asia, where the Chinese use the horn for medicine and jewelry and the Vietnamese believe a horn can help cure cancer.

A 2012 census found that the Indian National Park in question was home to 2,290 one-horned rhinos -- out of a global population of 3,300.

http://www.ibtimes.com/2-indian-poach ... le-hunting-rhinos-1114571

Washington, DC – Safari Club International (SCI) and Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) and will represent hunter-conservationists during the 16th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The 16th CoP takes place in Bangkok, Thailand March 3-14, and may be the most influential event that will shape international wildlife conservation objectives for the next 3 years.

“Our organizations are leaders in wildlife conservation who represent the hunter-conservationist at the world level,” said Joe Hosmer, President and SCI Foundation delegate. “For decades now, SCI and SCI Foundation have been working with countries to develop science-based wildlife management goals that benefit overall wildlife population health and sustainability of rural economies.”

CITES is a treaty among 177 countries that ensures cross-border trade in animals and plants does not harm individual species. SCI Foundation and SCI attend as international non-governmental organizations, and work with delegates from various countries to ensure that major trade decisions are based on sound science rather than politics and emotion.

“High profile policy issues such as the potential up-listing of polar bear will be exploited by animal-welfare organizations that ignore substantive science in their lobbying,” stated John Whipple, President of Safari Club International. “The range nations for polar bear -- Canada, Norway, and Denmark which represents Greenland -- and the CITES secretariat oppose the proposal for up-listing because it lacks a scientific justification. The animal welfare organizations have little interest in science; choosing to only advocate for their parochial political motivations.”

“SCI Foundation, in cooperation with Safari Club International, developed a comprehensive voting guide on all the policy recommendations being considered at the 16th CoP. We hope that every international conservationist will seek the counsel of the accomplished advisors who developed our materials for this incredibly important conference on wildlife conservation,” concluded Hosmer.

Find SCI Foundations positions on issues at www.safariclubfoundation.org/CITES.

Like SCI Foundation on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SCIFOUNDATIONCONSERVATION Join SCI Foundation on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SCIFoundation Learn more today at http://FirstForWildlife.wordpress.com



Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that funds and manages worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation, and outdoor education. Since 2000, SCIF has provided over $50 million to these causes around the world.

Visit the SCI Foundation’s new website at www.safariclubfoundation.org for more information on how you can contribute to international conservation.

Contact: Nelson Freeman, Media@safariclub.org

OSAKA – The recent mass shootings in the United States have spurred the White House to pursue what many in the nation consider taboo: strict gun controls.

But momentum is growing even among some die-hard advocates of the Second Amendment — the right to bear arms — including those who grew up using firearms to hunt, for sport or to protect their farms and homes. Many of them feel certain types of weapons, particularly military-style ones, are only designed for mass carnage.

In Japan, on the other hand, legal gun ownership is tightly controlled and allowed only for specific types of hunting or target shooting.

How does one get a hunting license in Japan?

The first step is to pass the test for hunting licenses administered by the governor of the prefecture where one resides. Hunting licenses, which are good for three years, basically fall into three categories: nets, traps and firearms.

The firearm licenses cover two categories: “explosive charge guns” (rifles and shotguns) and guns that use air pressure to fire projectiles.

Someone seeking a rifle or shotgun license must be at least 20 years old. Those who want to use air guns must be at least 18.

Applicants in either category must provide medical proof that they are sound of mind and not addicted to stimulants or other drugs. They must also demonstrate good judgment and physical ability.

Those with serious criminal records or a history of treatment for mental illness cannot qualify.

Any hunting law violator who has been penalized by more than a fine must wait three years from the day of their suspension to retake the licensing test.

The test covers hunting laws, the handling of traps, nets and firearms, and knowledge of different kinds of game. A score of 70 percent or above passes.

Applicants are also tested on their seeing and hearing abilities and physical fitness.

So is a hunting license all that is needed to own a gun?

No. A separate gun permit is required and the range of firearms is limited to shotguns or rifles.

While the Environment Ministry issues hunting licenses through prefectural governments, gun permits are issued by the National Police Agency through prefectural public safety commissions.

The vetting process is strict. Applicants must attend a lecture, pass a written test and practice with a police-provided 12-gauge shotgun. Once permission is granted, the gun must be purchased from a licensed dealer. The buyer must then take the weapon to the police to show them it is the one that was applied for.

Rick Sacca, a Shizuoka-based American and experienced hunter in both countries, notes there is a level of background checks the police conduct on gun applicants that would be considered a violation of privacy in the U.S. Employers, homeowners, families, neighbors, and even the head of the local ward association are among those police here would interview.

Anyone seeking to acquire a rifle in principle would have to have owned a shotgun for at least 10 years, and fulfill a separate set of requirements and paperwork.

Some prefectural police forces are quite strict and rarely issue rifle permits — even if the applicant is qualified. Pistols are not legally available to civilians.

For all gun permits, the police carry out thorough background checks on applicants, their families and their employment records. Any links to undesirable or dangerous elements of society results in disqualification.

What rules must gun owners follow?

Firearms must be stored in police-approved gun lockers, and ammunition must be stored separately. Separate police permission is meanwhile needed to buy ammunition.

Owners must inform police about the exact location where they are storing a firearm and ammunition, and they will conduct an annual inspection to ensure compliance.

Owners must retake the police gun permit exam every three years.

What are the costs involved?

Neither the hunting license nor the gun permit come cheap.

The Dai Nihon Hunters Friendship Association (Dainihon Ryoyukai), a public organization with branches nationwide, runs training programs that cost around ¥56,000 for sample tests and lectures. This includes training on how to use a firearm.

There is a further ¥14,000 commission that must be sent in with the gun permit application. Then there’s the firearm itself, which, the association estimates, could cost ¥45,000 minimum. Bullets for a rifle run about ¥80 each.

The police-approved gun locker costs ¥30,000 and the approved ammunition locker ¥10,000. Then there are the accessories needed to carry and clean the firearms, probably costing another ¥10,000.

So the minimum cost for becoming a gun-toting hunter is estimated at ¥115,000.

There is also an additional local government hunt-registration fee and a hunting tax. That costs around ¥19,000 and is only valid in the registered prefecture, though it covers hunting for birds and other animals.

The prefectural registration fee for basic bird hunting runs about ¥7,000.

What can be hunted in Japan?

The Environment Ministry lists 29 species of birds and 20 species of other animals that can be hunted nationwide.

But in reality, what you can hunt depends on the rules of the prefecture. Some species in certain prefectures are not allowed to be hunted or can only be taken in small numbers. Hunters must check with the prefecture upon registering.

In principle, hunting season runs from mid-November until mid-February, while in Hokkaido it runs from October until the end of January.

But once again, different prefectures may have shorter or longer hunting periods, and all hunters need to get confirmation on the dates.

Species often hunted include wild boar, deer and bear, as well as birds ranging from pheasants to turtle doves and quail.

What actual hunting restrictions are there?

The Environment Ministry has a list of basic restrictions and specifies what constitutes illegal hunting.

Hunting either before daybreak or after sunset is not allowed. Nor is hunting close to residential areas. Guns cannot be modified for hunting certain species.

Given the tough ownership rules, how many hunters and how many registered firearms are there throughout Japan?

As of 2010, there were about 190,000 people with hunting licenses (including those for using nets and traps), of which 122,000 were 60 years old or above. This is down from 518,000 in 1975.

As of 2011, according to police, permits were issued for about 220,000 hunting guns, of which 35,000 were rifles. This figure does not include nearly 27,000 air-powered guns like BB guns, which are also used by hunters.

Can hunters sell their game to restaurants or is it merely for personal consumption?

A licensed butcher at a licensed butcher shop can prepare and sell wild game on-site to restaurant customers, but there are numerous online sites that sell venison and wild boar.

Sacca notes that this differs from the U.S., where, due to concerns about health and a desire to ensure stable wildlife populations, the sale of wild game is largely prohibited.

How many gun-related accidents and deaths occur in Japan?

According to the National Policy Agency, licensed guns, including air rifles, were used to kill 11 people, including five suicides, in 2011. There also were 28 gun-related accidents, mostly involving hunters.

Illegal guns, mostly handguns, were used to kill seven people and injure 11 others that year. The vast majority of the incidents were related to yakuza or other gangs.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013 ... ne-is-rigid/#.UQeoK6wsTy4

In the first week of December 2012, the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government announced a quota for trophy hunting in the region for 2013, inviting national and international hunters to the region, which is known as a “living museum” for its varied wildlife and natural beauty.

It is home to a number of exotic animals which makes hunters flock the area for trophy hunting, a male-dominated sport which sees them hunt wild game animals.




Such an opportunity was not passed up by an American national, who became the first hunter of 2013 to claim an ibex as a trophy when he hunted the animal in G-B’s Gojal Valley.

“Mr Jerry Otis Bush has hunted an ibex trophy at the junction of rivers Khunjerab and Ghewjerav,” said Rahman Posh, Chairman Khunjerab Village Organisation [KVO], an umbrella organisation of seven villages in Gojal Valley.

Posh told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that the ibex hunted by Bush had 40 inch long horns. He spent at least four days with the communities and wildlife officials in the valley, searching for a suitable animal to hunt.

Posh said that after the successful hunt, Bush announced a donation of $500 to KVO, which he said would be used for providing health insurance to vulnerable families of the community in the valley.

According to the latest survey, the number of animals big enough for trophy hunting in G-B stood at 446 ibexes, 117 markhors (large species of wild goat) and 190 blue sheep.

Wilayat Noor, a conservator in G-B confirmed the hunt and hoped that more wild game hunters would visit the region to hunt the game after paying a legal fee to the federal government. “It is the hunting season [and] we hope more hunters will come,” Noor said.

For the hunting season 2012-2013, the G-B government slapped a $40,000 hunting fee for a markhor, $6,250 for a blue sheep and $2,500 for an ibex. Upon a successful hunt, 80% of the fee goes to the respective community where the hunt takes place.

The trophy hunting programme was first introduced in the early 1990s in the Bar Valley of Nagar in G-B.

Last year, one markhor, one blue sheep and 28 ibexes were hunted in the region and as stipulated, 80% of the hunting fee was given to the respective communities as part of their share, an official document said.

The communities of Gojal Valley have invited more hunters to visit the valley for hunting the animals as they have a quota for more hunts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2013.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/491918/hu ... the-first-trophy-of-2013/

The federal government has issued at least 30 special permits to royal family members and government officials of Arab states to hunt the highly rare and internationally protected bird species houbara bustard, it emerged on Friday.

Hunting of the internationally protected migratory bird is banned under various local and international conservation laws and Pakistanis are not allowed to hunt the precious bird, sources said.

During the hunting season 2012-13, the sources said, the favour had been extended to the royal families of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, State of Qatar and Kingdom of Bahrain, including three rulers (kings), four crown prices, an uncle of a ruler, brothers and other close family members of the rulers.

The sources said that the maximum number of districts/ areas, 14 to be exact, had been allocated to UAE ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. They added that he was also the single hunter who had been allocated areas in the three provinces — Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan — where the houbara bustard stays after flying from the much colder central Asian habitat to spend its winters.

While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest and wealthiest country in the Arabian peninsula, it has been allocated just two hunting permits unlike the UAE that has been given 12 permits, Qatar 11 permits and Bahrain five permits, according to the sources.

Almost the entire arid region, which provided temporary abode to the migratory birds and spread in all the four provinces of Pakistan, had been allocated to these 30 foreign hunters, the sources said.

The names of the hunters and areas allocated to them, according to the list prepared by the foreign ministry are:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the first deputy prime minister and defence minister, has been given a permit for hunting in districts of Dera Bugti, Dera Murad Jamali, Nasirabad and Jaffarbad and Duki in Loralai district in Balochistan and Vehari, Multan (Tehsil Shujabad), Mianwali and Sargodha in Punjab.

Tabuk Governor Prince Fahd bin Abdul Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has been allocated districts of Chagai, Awaran and Noshki (excluding the Noshki city) in Balochistan.

Kingdom of Bahrain

An uncle of the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Ebrahim bin Hamad bin Abdullah al Khalifa, has been issued a permit for hunting in Mastung district of Balochistan.

A member of the ruling family, Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa, has been allowed hunting in Malir district (excluding the Malir cantonment and Dhabeji areas) in Sindh.

Another member of the ruling family, Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has been allotted the Malir district (excluding Malir Cantonment and Dhabeji areas).

Defence affairs adviser to the king Sheikh Abdullah bin Salman Al Khalifa has been allowed hunting in Jati tehsil of Thatta district, Sindh.

Bahrain defence forces commander in chief Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been given permit for hunting in Toisar tehsil of Musakhel district in Balochistan.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has been allowed to hunt in districts of Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab, and Sukkur, Ghotki, Nawabshah and Sanghar in Sindh and Zhob, Ormara, Gwadar, Pasni, Kharan, excluding Naag Dara (Naag valley is a breeding area), Panjgur and Washuk in Balochistan.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has been allowed to hunt in Lehri tehsil of Sibi district (Domki area only).

UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has been allowed to hunt in Khairpur district, including Kot Diji (not across Nara Canal) in Sindh.

UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is ruler’s representative in the western region, has been allotted Lehri tehsil of Sibi district (excluding Domki), old Kutchi and Sani Shoran of Bolan district in Balochistan and Khairpur Nathan Shah, Ghaibi Dero, Shahdadkot, Khairpur (area across Nara canal), Tehsil Johi and Fareedabad union council in Dadu district of Sindh.

Another member of the royal family, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has been given Qila Saifullah district, including Kar Khurassan (less subdivision Muslim Bagh) in Balochistan.

Dubai, UAE

Ruler of Dubai and vice president of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been allowed to hunt in Khuzdar and Lasbela districts of Balochistan and in Muzaffargarh district of Punjab.

Crown prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been allotted Bhakkar and Khushab districts of Punjab and Jamshoro district of Sindh.

Deputy ruler of Dubai and Finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been given Bahawalpur district and Fort Abbas tehsil of Bahawalnagar district.

Deputy chief of Dubai police and general security Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also a member of the ruling family, has been allowed to hunt in Umerkot and Tharparkar, including Mithi and Nagarparkar, (excluding the protected area).

Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum, another member of the ruling family of Dubai, has been allocated Badin district, the Jangshahi area in Thatta and Dhabeji in Malir district in Sindh.

Major General Sheikh Al Mur bin Maktoum Al Maktoum has been given Jhang district of Punjab.

Nasir Abdullah Lootah, a government official of Dubai, has been issued a permit for hunting in Thatta district (excluding tehsils of Shah Bander and Jung Shahi) in Sindh.

State of Qatar

Emir of State of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has been allotted the Bahawalnagar (excluding Fort Abbas tehsil) district in Punjab for hunting.

Heir Apparent of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has been permitted to hunt in Jacobabad district, Sindh. Ex-heir apparent to the State of Qatar Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has been allowed hunting in Musakhel and Drug tehsils of Musakhel district in Balochistan.

Qatar prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabbar Al Thani has been allocated the Muslimbagh subdivision in Qila Saifullah district, Balochistan.

A brother of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has been allotted Loralai district (excluding the Duki area) in Balochistan.

Another royal family member, Sheikh Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, has been issued permit for hunting in district Layyah in Punjab and Dadu City in Sindh.

Qatar royal family’s supreme council member Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Thani Al Thani has been allotted Turbat district in Balochistan for hunting.

Another member of the royal family, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani, has been issued a permit for hunting in Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Yet another member of the royal family, Sheikh Thani bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, has been allowed to hunt in Surab tehsil in Kalat district, Balochistan.

Similarly, another member of the ruling family, Sheikh Mohammad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Thani Al Thani, has been allowed hunting in Barkhan district and Kingri tehsil in Musakhel district of Balochistan.

Qatar prime minister’s brother Sheikh Falah bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani has been issued a permit for hunting in Jhal Magsi district of Balochistan.

Code of conduct

A code of conduct issued by the ministry to the hunters prescribes a bag limit of 100 birds and they have been advised neither to poach on chicks or eggs nor to take live birds and not to use firearms for hunting which is to be carried out only through falcons.

Representatives of the wildlife department and liaison officials will accompany the hunters for monitoring and ensuring that the code is being followed.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/27/30-houbara ... sued-to-gulf-dignitaries/

Farmers in Sumbawa and West Sumbawa regencies in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) maintain a unique tradition of collective hunting to safeguard their crops from wild boar invasions.

Men hunt the boars in groups by traditional means with the aid of hunting dogs. Called maen bai, the Sumbawa term for chasing boars, this unique tradition is being promoted as a cultural and tourism event in NTB.

Recently, the West Sumbawa regional administration organized a maen bai near the hilly area of Bintang Bano in Brang Rea district, West Sumbawa. Over 40 groups of farmers from several West Sumbawa districts joined the hunt.

A group generally comprises 30 to 35 people plus eight hunting dogs. They usually wield spears, locally called foke, and daggers.

“Wild boars mostly roam the village in the dry season, potentially damaging our crops, so we regularly nganyang [hunt],” Kasim, 48, a farmer from Tepas village in Brang Rea, told The Jakarta Post.

In Tepas, one of the villages adjacent to Bintang Bano, farmers have just recently started to grow corn and tubers alongside their paddy fields following the end of their rice harvest in August.

Maen bai or nganyang, according to Kasim, has been practiced over generations in Sumbawa due to the presence of many boars harmful to crops. Kasim’s 28-man group has eight hunting dogs called asu nyanyang.

These dogs, a common breed, have been trained for years to hunt. The sense of smell and agility of the canines in rounding up boars are highly reliable in the work.

“Skilled dogs of the kind cost Rp 5 million [US$525] each. In the chase, the dogs will herd the boars and only then will we start throwing spears to paralyze the pests,” said Kasim.

Like Kasim’s group, dozens of other nganyang bands had gathered near Bintang Bano since early morning. Hundreds of visitors from Sumbawa and Lombok packed the location to watch the boar hunt.

Shouts and yells came from various directions, mixed with the dogs’ barks. The groups took their respective lanes and started hunting under challenging circumstances in the barren and dusty location. With hundreds of hunters brandishing spears and daggers, spectators had to be alert to flying weapons aimed at herded targets.

West Sumbawa Regent KH Zulkifli Muhadli said the maen bai tradition was made an annual cultural and tourism event this year.

“This time-honored local practice of West Sumbawa has the potential to attract tourists because it’s a distinctive practice of Sumbawa,” he said.

Maen bai as a tourism event, according to Zulkifli, is also meant to prevent the custom from harming the environment, as hunting groups often aim not only at wild boars but also deer.

“The regional administration has been fostering the groups in eight districts to maintain the deer population by making them aware that they’re chasing boars instead of deer,” he said.

West Sumbawa is indeed boosting its tourism potential by offering not only its natural beauty but traditions such as barapan kebo (buffalo racing) and maen bai. However, infrastructure limitations and transportation difficulties in the region have posed a constraint to interested tourists.

“It’s an exciting event but the road leading to this area is mostly damaged. If the access is smooth a lot more visitors will likely come here,” said Nanik Santi, a student from Mataram, Lombok.

Chairman of the NTB Regional Tourism Promotion Agency, Awanadhi Aswinabawa, said his office had accepted the proposal to put barapan kebo and maen bai in West Sumbawa on the tourism agenda of NTB for external promotion.

“In the future, along with Lombok, the island of Sumbawa will also get a promotional boost. This is to further the spirit of the Visit Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 program,” he said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/20 ... ild-boar-sumbawa-way.html

Two men were shot in what has been claimed to be accidental when they went mousedeer hunting with three others near here.

Teacher Amir Ain, 40, was killed while fellow hunter, an unidentified man in his 50s, was wounded in the 11pm incident on Monday.

The injured victim is recuperating at the Malacca Hospital.

Amir, who taught at a school in Damansara in Kuala Lumpur, died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

It is learnt that he had come here for the Hari Raya break and had gone on the hunting trip with his brother-in-law and the group.

Tampin OCPD Supt Wooi Kooi Cheang said the five men had gone hunting for mousedeer in a nearby jungle at about 9pm.

“Preliminary investigations showed that Amir's brother-in-law had fired at what he thought was a mousedeer.

“When he went to check if he had hit the target, he was shocked to find the two men bleeding.”

Supt Wooi said the other hunters rushed the injured men out of the jungle but Amir succumbed to his injuries before they reached the hospital.

Police have detained the brother-in-law and the two others to help in investigations.

“We seized a shotgun and nine rounds of ammunition from the men,” said Supt Wooi.

Amir's family has claimed his body from Tampin Hospital for burial.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp? ... ation/11905452&sec=nation

Five Bollywood actors have been charged by an Indian court for allegedly hunting black bucks, a protected species, 14 years ago.

Actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam appeared before Jodhpur chief judicial magistrate Chandra Kala Jain on Saturday to hear the charges, The Times of India reported. Actor Salman Khan is also charged in the case but did not appear in court.

The five have been charged with the hunting of a protected animal, encouraging others to committing an offense of hunting, and unlawful assembly, for allegedly hunting black bucks in 1998. They have all pleaded not guilty.

If convicted, the actors face up to six years in jail.

Khan is also scheduled appear before a Sessions Court on Monday to be charged by a judge for a fatal 2002 hit-and-run case, Hindustan Times reported.

In that case, Khan is accused of driving over several people who were sleeping on the pavement in the city of Bandra. One person was killed in the incident and four others were injured.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-New ... 71364139712/?spt=hs&or=tn

A constitutional petition has been filed in the Balochistan High Court against allotment of hunting areas in Kharan and Washak districts if the province to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The petition was filed by legal heirs of Nawab of Kharan, Nawab Ameer Habibullah Khan Nousherwani, through their attorney Nawabzada Ameer Shahryar Nousherwani. The petitioners submitted that the federal government had illegally allotted personal property in Kharan and Washak districts to Sheikh Khalifa. They pleaded that the government was illegally allotting their personal property spread over a vast area, including agriculture land, forests, water channels, water springs, karezats, orchards and pastures for hunting to the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, without permission and without taking the petitioners into confidence.

The petition also said that every year while operating in the area the staff of the UAE president established hunting posts and patrolled the area in their vehicles and did not allow even owners, tenants and shepherds to enter the area and look after their land, crops and cattle. The applicants also said that protection of property rights as envisaged in Article 24 of the constitution of Pakistan and the instrument of accession of Kharan State between the Nawab of Kharan and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was being violated and the petitioners required to be dealt with in accordance with the law.

The petitioners prayed to the court to restrain the Pakistan government from allotting their hunting area to Arab dignitaries, and the staff of the UAE president be restrained from occupying, damaging and disturbing the life, liberty and property of the petitioners and their tenants.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\03\04\story_4-3-2013_pg7_6

Two security personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) sustained injuries when armed men attacked the convoy of a Qatari Shiekh’s hunting party in Kech district on Friday.

According to Home Secretary Balochistan, Akbar Hussain Durrani, the hunting party led by Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah, a member of the ruling family of Qatar and Minister for Petroleum, was moving from one camp to another in Patok, some 25 kilometres away from Turbat, when the perpetrators, perched on nearby mountains, opened fire on the Frontier Corps personnel and the accompanying hunting party.

Banned group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/501619/qa ... g-party-attacked-in-kech/

“It’s good, yes? It’s veeeery good!” Orisbai Shatirbai laughs giddily, as Hiran, his five-year-old golden eagle, perches over the large fox it has just caught on the Mongolian steppe.

Seventy-three-year-old Shatirbai was six or seven when his father first taught him to hunt with an eagle. By 15 he was doing it alone. He’s passed the knowledge on to his own sons, emphasizing that this tradition is an important cultural legacy that they – as ethnic Kazakhs – are responsible for maintaining.

Eagle hunting is a seasonal pastime, only practical in the autumn and winter after the birds have molted.

Shatirbai’s family of sheepherders moves between three steppe camps in spring, summer, and early autumn. Ahead of the brutal winters, each October the family retreats from their felt yurts to a couple of houses nestled in a hillside a few miles outside of the small, western Mongolian town of Tolbo. There, Shatirbai and his wife Khama live with their youngest son and his large family. Most days, Hiran can be found hooded and on her perch outside the house. Once every two days she is fed chopped, raw meat—usually fox, rabbit or cow.

The day before the hunt, Hiran is brought inside the house; she must get ample exercise to make her hungry enough to hunt for a fox (females are used exclusively as they are more aggressive). Shatirbai prepares Hiran by tethering her to a thick mitt that he then rocks up and down rapidly for several minutes at a time, as she tries to hold on like a cowboy on a bucking bronco.

One need spend only a few minutes with Shatirbai and Hiran to see their strong relationship. If it weren’t obvious, family photomontages around the house all seem to include a snapshot of Shatirbai with one of the golden eagles he’s trained over the years.

Though foxes are the most common prey, two well-trained, strong eagles can together hunt animals as large as a wolf. (Kazakhs and Kyrgyz also sometimes hunt smaller prey with falcons.)

On a recent morning, after reaching the top of a rocky bluff, Shatirbai removes Hiran’s hood and she quickly alights toward something no one else can see. After swiftly coasting down on a scuttling fox, the bird lashes its talons and elegantly sinks them into its prey.

Shatirbai could not be happier. Sitting with his bird, his son, and the dead fox, he poses proudly for a photograph. Kazakhs both in Mongolia and across the border in Kazakhstan have strived to preserve their rich nomadic cultural traditions in modern times. At least for today, in a desolate swath of the great Central Asian steppe, that heritage is alive and well.

Editor's Note:
Keith Mellnick is a freelance writer and photographer currently working in Central Asia.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66450

The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change on Thursday recommended banning the licensed trophy hunting.

The suggestion was made by members of the committee which met with Senator Saeeda Iqbal in the chair. The panel discussed a range of issues related to the wildlife.

“It is strange that we are giving licences to foreigners to kill precious wildlife instead of protecting and preserving it,” said Senator Rubina Khalid.

She said that foreigners, particularly the royal families of Arab countries, are invited and given licences to kill markhor, urial, ibex and blue sheep in Sindh, Balochistan, Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to wildlife officials, trophy hunting is a regulated exercise, where old sterile males with elaborate antlers are marked and offered to hunters in a supervised hunt against a licence fee that can run into thousands of dollars.

The practice discourages poaching, but is still scorned upon by wildlife lovers as a legal genocide and an intervention in nature.

Rubina Khalid noted that some politicians and bureaucrats facilitate and entertain the foreigners in the name of trophy hunting and receive favours like luxury cars and precious watches but the concerned community gets nothing.

Chairperson of the committee Senator Saeeda Iqbal and other members also asked the relevant authorities including the foreign office to end the practice of trophy hunting. The committee also sought details about the total number of licences issued to foreigners and the number of animals they hunted.

Inspector General of Forests (IGF) Syed Mehmood Nasir gave a presentation on the current situation of forests in Pakistan. He said there is no regulatory body at the federal level after the devolution of the subject of forests to the provinces.

He revealed that Pakistan is growing into a hub for illegal wildlife trade. He mentioned that a large number of falcons and houbara bustards are smuggled to Gulf countries.

The IGF justified the trophy hunting, saying that it is an attempt to motivate the local communities to preserve the wildlife and in return grant them sufficient foreign exchange from the hunter.

According to the IGF, the experiment of trophy hunting has been successful in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, where a large number of wildlife have been preserved and protected motivating communities to protect them.

He also stated that the trophy hunting practice of Pakistan is being taken as an example across the world.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/473079/li ... es-ban-on-trophy-hunting/

Sinaduji, 66, who used to be a poacher himself, is now the leader of an anti-poaching team in his village at the foot of Kawagarbo, Meili Snow Mountain's highest peak, in Yunnan province's Deqen county.




Tibetans in Yunnan province's Deqen county have been relieved to see more gazelles, black bears and dwarf blue sheep running on the Meili Snow Mountain, their altar of pilgrimage, in recent years.

The animals that had almost vanished started to reappear because one person changed his mind.

Sinaduji is the leader of a local anti-poaching team. His name is said to strike fear into local poachers' hearts.

But the wildlife ranger used to be a poacher himself, and is an expert marksman with pinpoint accuracy.

The 66-year-old Tibetan lives in Bucun village at the foot of Kawagarbo, Meili Snow Mountain's highest peak.

At 19, he became the only guard of the credit union for 16 villages and was equipped with a gun. He loved trekking the paths that few had traveled with his gun.

"I can shoot an egg 100 meters away and a cigarette 50 meters away," he says.

"I know exactly how to shoot a red deer running or standing still, up or down the slopes, without shooting twice."

Sinaduji says he had killed about 500 wild animals until one day in 1986 when he encountered a black bear.

He shot the creature eight times, but it just wouldn't die, he says.

"The strangest thing happened," he recalls.

"The bear shrank to nothing."

He claims that, from that point on, any animal he shot turned into an image of him or a puff of smoke.

He became seriously ill.

"The illness of all the animals I'd killed attacked me with hallucinations," he says.

"I was so scared that I sweated day and night. I knew I'd angered the god of Kawagarbo. I knelt and kowtowed for a long time, confessed what I'd done and vowed to stop hunting."

He handed in his gun and shut his hunting dog in the yard.

Sinaduji has been telling this story to villagers to persuade local Tibetans to respect nature as the sacred snow mountain's guardians.

Since he gave up his gun, Sinaduji has supported his family by farming. But they barely scrape out an existence without the supplementary meat from hunting.

In 2001, his daughter Zhuige planted grapevines at the local government's encouragement and sells homemade wine to tourists who visit the remote mountain settlement.

Last month, Sinaduji and 12 fellow anti-poaching teammates finished their third patrol of the year.

The rangers make four five-day rounds a year. "I've got 20 years of hunting experience, so I know exactly where to find poachers. They go where other people don't. I teach my teammates their methods," he explains, showing a map he drew of Meili Mountain's 13 peaks.

The team has dismantled more than 1,200 traps since it was formed in 2005, Sinaduji says.

Deqen county's biodiversity office director Litsinggerong says more than 30 percent of local Tibetan families hunted in the 1990s, but fewer than 3 percent still do.

"Sinaduji and his team have created a much safer living space for endangered animals like snow leopards and river deer," Litsinggerong says.

Sinaduji's team has also saved the forests.

"Last June, a team member found a cigarette left by a woodcutter and prevented a massive fire that could have caused immeasurable losses," Sinaduji recalls.

The team members are volunteers aging 22-66. The Yunnan Green Environment Development Foundation provides a 60-yuan subsidy to every member per day on patrol.

"But we still need support and sponsorship from society," Sinaduji says.

"The equipment we bought ourselves, such as sleeping bags, water filters and walking sticks, are old and worn down. Our efforts are too limited. The snow mountain's glaciers are melting to create vaster migration ranges. I hope more volunteers will sign up, even after I'm dead."

The Tibetan ranger believes the protection of cultural diversity is linked to that of biodiversity.

Sinaduji spends much time poring over historical documents and researching Tibetan classics and folklore.

"I've found people today have many misunderstandings about local culture and folklore," he says.

"As other cultures' impacts grow stronger, I fear our descendents will never know their authentic culture and history."

Sinaduji is working on his first book, Secrets of Kawagarbo, which will be published early next year. It contains Tibetan documents about Kawagarbo from past dynasties and depicts little-known folklores about the Tibetan pilgrimage.

xiaoxiangyi@chinadaily.com.cn

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2012-10/10/content_15805868.htm

It was suffocation and shock caused by loud noises by an unruly crowd that drove a cornered leopard to its death in Almora.

The wildlife experts are here of the view that had the people that surrounded the leopard in Almora's Narsinghbari on Friday, not intimidated the animal and stoned it, perhaps it could have easily escaped unhurt.

The experts here also maintained that the local forest department with the help of the police could have dispersed the crowd that had surrounded the wild animal which was already in shock after entering the human habitation.

The presence of police could have barred locals from coming close to the big cat and eventually a safe passage could have been provided to the leopard. But no precautionary measures were taken, they claimed.

The post-mortem report is yet to be made public, but untimely and tragic death of the leopard can be attributed to the 'insensitive' behaviour of the locals that virtually scared the animal to death, the experts added.

The post-mortem of the leopard is being conducted by the local veterinary doctor. Though the report is yet to be made public, but as the experts have pointed out suffocation and shock led to the death of the leopard, said Rahul, DFO, Almora, told The Pioneer.

The DFO further said that he had already had a discussion with the veterinary doctor conducting the examination, and perhaps the post-mortem report could be made public on Monday .The leopard could be around six year old, he added.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ... ten-leopard-to-death.html