Smuggling Falcons
SOME years ago, I met a man who told me that he was in the business of ‘selling tigers' - in Dubai. He told me that a domesticated tiger would fetch around Rs. 15 lakhs in the Gulf.
A tiger roaming around the house is a status symbol with many rich and powerful people in some countries.
Even in Pakistan, the son of a chief minister is reported to have imported two Siberian tigers for his residence and after a public uproar, donated them to a zoo.
There is even a website which promises to sell tigers online - directly from their India breeding!
But somewhere down the line, the Customs will enter and seize this import and export of tigers and such other wild life.
Last week, the Pakistan Customs is reported to have seized seven falcons attempted to be smuggled to Bahrain.