Passerines for blessings soon to be illegal

A hawker sells captured passerines at a traffic signal in Karachi.

The business of selling passerines for blessing on the streets of Karachi will soon be declared a criminal offence thanks to the tireless efforts of our team. Birds such as mynahs, sparrows, robins, munias and chats are captured by trappers from the suburban areas of the city. Crammed into tiny, suffocating makeshift cages the birds suffer immensely while the trappers cash in on people’s emotions to complete the cruel chain by doing the ‘good deed’ of setting them free again. However, most of the birds are dehydrated and exhausted after being shaken in sacks all day under the burning sun and perish soon after in the concrete jungle far away from their source of food and shelter.


The Sindh Wildlife Department used to acknowledge it as a livelihood and was wrongfully issuing permits to hawkers allowing this cruel business to flourish in the city. 

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