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 Shantanu Kumar talks to BBC's Andrew WhiteheadWe caught a few birds and had them examined  real 28k |
India hawks 'not Pakistani spies'
Hawks suspected of spying for Pakistan are in fact being used for sport, according to a senior police officer in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan.
Birds don't understand international borders  |
Shantanu Kumar
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Shantanu Kumar, who is also a keen falconer, was responding to claims which arose after India's Border Security Force came across a number of hawks carrying what seemed to be high-tech surveillance equipment.
The Indian press said the 'spyhawks' had been working for Pakistan after they all seemed to settle on the towers of Indian military installations.
But Mr Kumar said the creatures belonged to Arabs who took them to Pakistan to hunt their favourite prey - bustards.
He said the transmitters attached to the bird's tail-feathers were there to help their handlers find them when they get lost.
"The antenna ... is purely meant for orientation, in order to find out which direction the bird has gone - after all the deserts are very very open spaces," he said.
Valuable
He pointed out that the birds were very expensive and had had considerable training.
They crossed into India because "birds don't understand international borders", he said.
On Sunday, the Press Trust of India reported that the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had caught a "spyhawk fitted with antenna and a live transmitter flying across the international border" in Rajasthan's frontier Jaisalmer region.
It was the second caught by the BSF, the agency said. The first died after a few days of captivity on 21 February, BSF inspector-General B Singh told the news agency.
BSF sources said Pakistani troops had been using trained spyhawks to monitor the Indian army's movements along the Rajasthan border.
The Indian press said the 'spyhawks' had been working for Pakistan after they all seemed to settle on the towers of Indian military installations.
But Mr Kumar said the creatures belonged to Arabs who took them to Pakistan to hunt their favourite prey - bustards.
He said the transmitters attached to the bird's tail-feathers were there to help their handlers find them when they get lost.
"The antenna ... is purely meant for orientation, in order to find out which direction the bird has gone - after all the deserts are very very open spaces," he said.
Valuable
He pointed out that the birds were very expensive and had had considerable training.
They crossed into India because "birds don't understand international borders", he said.
On Sunday, the Press Trust of India reported that the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had caught a "spyhawk fitted with antenna and a live transmitter flying across the international border" in Rajasthan's frontier Jaisalmer region.
It was the second caught by the BSF, the agency said. The first died after a few days of captivity on 21 February, BSF inspector-General B Singh told the news agency.
BSF sources said Pakistani troops had been using trained spyhawks to monitor the Indian army's movements along the Rajasthan border.
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