DOHA: Inspectors from the Ministry of Environment have seized 200 bird-call whistles that are banned in the country since they can be used to attract some of the protected species for illegal trade.
The seizures were made with the help of law enforcement agencies, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday.
Many of the seized whistles were meant to mimic the calls of crown birds. Using such a whistle one can attract the birds in large numbers and catch them for illegal trade.
Umer Salem Al Naimi, director of the environment protection department at the ministry, told QNA that seizures had been made in several parts of the country, especially the north and south-west.
He said some whistles could mimic the call of a migratory bird called Allafoo, which is found here in February and March.
Hunting the bird is allowed using falcons but it is illegal to catch them using mimicking whistles.
The whistles tend to negatively impact the behaviour of the birds, Al Naimi said.
The hotline of the environment protection department is 998. Al Naimi said people who came to know of any violation could use the hotline to alert his department.
The seized whistles are of various types and sizes. Some resemble cold drink bottles, small plastic cars, radios and transistors, and the intention was to hoodwink inspectors from the environment protection department.
However, the inspectors were aware that these were bird call whistles and they seized them in separate swoops, said Al Naimi.
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