Photos: UAE falcon hospital a window into Emirati tradition

Abu Dhabi: Eid al-Qobeissy's two birds perch majestically in the waiting room of Abu Dhabi's falcon hospital, awaiting a routine check-up ahead of their hunting trip to Azerbaijan.

Like other well-travelled residents of the United Arab Emirates, the falcons will make the journey with their devoted owner on a well-worn route from a country where the creature is both a national symbol and treasured tradition.

After waiting in the pristine white-marbled reception area of the animal hospital, the falcons will undergo blood tests in order to complete paperwork for the trip.

They are among about 11,000 falcons the hospital treats annually, a number that has more than doubled in the past 10 years.

Margit Gabriele Muller responsible for veterinary operations at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, shows a falcon's passport. "Falcons have a very special place in the heart of the Emiratis."

"Here, falcons are not considered birds, they are considered children of the Bedouins because, historically, falcons were used to hunt meat, allowing the Bedouin's family to survive in this very harsh desert life," Muller said..

In 2010, UNESCO added falconry to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Abu Dhabi facility is the world's largest falcon hospital, frequented by falconers from across the Gulf region.

As well as check-ups and routine trimming of talons, it also conducts complicated surgery and offers a training programme for veterinary students from more than 40 countries to learn about avian medicine.

Opportunities to take a falcon hunting are limited in the UAE, where it is only permitted in designated reserves. That means that for many birds, the hospital is an essential stop-off before heading to popular overseas hunting destinations including Morocco, Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

Emirati falconers are only legally allowed to own captive-bred birds, which must have their own passports that comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for transport.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad permits falcons in the cabin or as checked baggage, and Dubai's Emirates allows birds to travel alongside their owner to certain destinations in Pakistan.

While the hospital has its own programme and facilities to breed falcons that can be purchased, most of the birds are imported to the UAE from breeders in the Americas and Europe. "They stay with the falconer for as long as they live," Muller said. "They will not be released because they are captive-bred falcons."

Muller added that the most sought-after and expensive falcons are females, which can carry up to five times their own body weight. They are also considered the most beautiful. "The female is usually one third bigger than the male, and more powerful," she said, adding that captive-bred female falcons can cost upwards of 100,000 euros ($108,000).