Qais Baloch
Quetta: The Balochi Sand Rabbit (Reg-a-Muru in Balochi language) is considered endangered because of illegal hunting in Nushki deserts.
Many pairs of sand rabbit have been found in vast scattered region of Nushki desert which has and there is an annual rainfall in most sections of just a few dozen millimeters.
Somehow local people that live in this desert witness Sand Hare. However, due to their good hearing, they are mostly alert and escape from hunters.
Human encroachment into natural habitat of animals creates nuisance, when indigenous hunters approach these rabbits, they use their long strong hind legs to jump and run faster, stop far away, and stand on its hind legs to get a better view of hunters.
This rabbit builds its burrow system under dense bushes, make it difficult for other animals to invade it. Occasionally, they use the burrows of other animals to dodge the hunters, when available.
They inhabit in thick bushy areas with plenty of hiding places such as desert grasslands surrounded by native grasses. Rabbit are vegetarian, feeding on grasses, mesquite leaves and beans.
Both the humans and animals needs more and more water to survive in the harsh environment of the desert, because of droughts in the region it is quite hard to get water for these folks.
Native people dig wells in the desert to get fresh and clean water. Whenever they draw up water from wells by means of a rope is attached with a bucket made of animal skin, the water drips out from buckets and get accumulate onto the ground.
These rabbits derive some moisture from cacti plants found in the desert. Excessive thirst in wild animals make them victims of local hunters when they put their lives at risk to go near wells.
“Many local hunters knew about this region like the back of their hands, a lot of animals have been spotted near to water wells, that’s why the hunters already take shooting positions in entrenches around such wells, and wait for their desired animals to approach them, even they hunt wild animals that are declared detestable in their religions,” said Abdul Shakoor, a resident of Hazarjuft village located 25 km far away from Nushki city in desert.
“When I heard the news that two rabbits were spotted by the villagers near Hazarjuft village. I decided to hunt them after a long hot day in the desert, at last I shot them down one by one. When people heard that I have successfully hunted them later, I became more popular among indigenous hunters,” a familiar hunter from Nushki district told Balochistan Voices on the condition of anonymity.
There was a time when people were aware of wildlife issues nowadays they don’t seem to be much concerned of wildlife. Many vulnerable species are considered to be at risk of extinction in the province, if the concerned departments don’t take further measures to save the endangered species, definitely we will lose them in near future.
The provincial government must ensure protection of wild animals such as Sand Hare and declare complete ban on hunting, not only locally or regionally but also on Arab sheikhs who come to hunt the internationally protected migratory birds in Balochistan.
There is need of breeding to protect the distinct species inside Balochistan, not only these endemic species have recognized Balochistan nationally but also internationally.
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