Pakistanis feed predatory birds despite crackdown on practice

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Shabnam, a young woman in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, sells small packets of scrap meat to passersby to feed predatory birds, despite a recent crackdown on the practice which many people do as an offering to ward off adversity.

The tradition of tossing offerings off a bridge - which are swooped up by hawks and kites - has long provided a source of livelihood for hundreds of roadside vendors in bustling Pakistani cities such as Lahore and Karachi.