Glorious bustard
This is Chlamydotis undulata, the Houbara Bustard, and it stirred up an imbroglio between Riyadh and Islamabad:
The Saudi government is reported to have protested to Pakistan at the highest level against denial of permission to hunt the houbara bustard in areas of their choice, casting a shadow on prospects of warming of relations affected in the recent past because of similar disputes.
Riyadh conveyed its resentment through a letter to President Asif Zardari, demanding restoration of the areas traditionally allocated to Saudi Arabia but given to the United Arab Emirates last year and to a large extent this year as well.
Pakistan subsequently backed down:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given permission to 27 dignitaries of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to set up hunting camps in 63 districts of all four provinces and hunt the protected and endangered bird, the houbara bustard.
Wait a minute. Did they say “protected and endangered”?
Even though the bird is protected under various international and national nature conservation organisations, the Pakistani government has granted permission to the Arab dignitaries. Even the national or international conservation organisations have not protested over the issue so far. “Personally I think houbara bustard is not endangered and it does not come under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals,” an IUCN Pakistan official told this scribe on condition of anonymity, leaving this scribe surprised over the official’s lack of knowledge.
This bird is listed as “Vulnerable,” which is slightly worse off than “Threatened” but a step below “Tastes like Chicken” “Endangered.”
(Via Interested-Participant.)
Mark »
28 December 2009 · 4:27 pm
Does everyone already know the limerick about the bustard, written by the late Yale secretary George Vaill? I think the one-word fourth line is especially virtuosic:
The bustard’s an exquisite fowl
With minimal reason to growl:
He escapes what would be
Illegitimacy
By the grace of a fortunate vowel.
CGHill »
28 December 2009 · 5:13 pm
I admit to not knowing that one; for some reason, the brain expects limericks to involve either Nantucket or an old hermit named Dave. :)
It’s a fine example of the species, though, and scans better than most.