Al Ain: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Tuesday received a number of falconers participating in the 4th International Festival of Falconry which began in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Lt-General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, was present.
Shaikh Mohammad welcomed the falconers and discussed with them their activities during the festival as well as the purpose of such events and the way in which they help promote the exchange of experiences, customs and traditions in falconry.
He shared with them his memories of the first such festival, held in Abu Dhabi in 1976 under the patronage and guidance of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as well as Shaikh Zayed’s vision of preserving a common human heritage.
Shaikh Mohammad also spoke of the continuing efforts by the UAE, initiated during Shaikh Zayed’s era, to preserve the art of falconry and its ancient heritage. These efforts, he noted, were still receiving the care and attention of the leadership.
The falconers, in response, expressed their thanks for the organisation of the festival.
The event is being organised by the Emirates Falconers Club in partnership with the International Association of Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey and New York University-Abu Dhabi. More than 700 falconers and researchers from 90 countries are taking part, as well as a number of international organisations, including Unesco.
