The opening day of the hunting season in Punjab has been marred by the indiscriminate killing of partridges.
Hunters, emboldened by a recent notification from the Punjab Wildlife Department, unleashed a wave of destruction, decimating partridge populations in a single day.
The department's decision to allow hunting has raised eyebrows among wildlife protection groups, who question the lack of thorough population surveys prior to granting hunting permits. Sources close to the matter have revealed that no such surveys were conducted, leaving the true extent of partridge populations in hunting areas shrouded in mystery.
The notification, which limits hunting to Sundays in specific regions deemed to have significant partridge populations, appears to have been ignored by hunters eager to flaunt their kills.
Social media has been flooded with images of hunters posing with their fallen prey, boasting of hundreds of partridges slain on the opening day.
Amidst growing concerns over the potential for partridge populations to be driven to the brink of extinction, conservationists are calling upon the Punjab government to reconsider its stance on hunting.
They are urging the authorities to suspend the ongoing hunting season and initiate a comprehensive assessment of partridge populations.
Additionally, they are advocating for stricter legislation to safeguard wildlife from the perils of hunting.
The Punjab Wildlife Department, however, has remained steadfast in its position, maintaining silence on the allegations of neglecting population surveys in hunting zones.
Their lack of response has further fuelled the anxieties of conservationists, who fear that the department may be turning a blind eye to the plight of partridges.
