Exotic birds.

JOINT action by the Sindh Wildlife Department and Rangers on Sunday that caught a consignment of at least 26 exotic birds near Karachi appears in sync with the government's new policy shift to ban the export of local species of birds and the import of exotic mammals. The birds, which included the Alexandrine parakeet whose population in Pakistan has declined due to widespread hunting, illegal trade and rapid deforestation, were reportedly being transferred from Bahawalpur to Karachi for sale. According to the officials, the birds appeared to have been caught in the wild.

In recent years, the disturbing trend of keeping wild and exotic animals in private zoos and at homes in cages has become quite popular, especially in bigger cities such as Lahore and Karachi. The traders or breeders of such animals can earn millions of rupees from a single purchase. However, as animal rights activists rightly say, keeping these creatures in captivity for personal entertainment is an inhumane and archaic custom that needs to be abolished. The Islamabad High Court also made this point in its July...