Region imports 6,400 falcons

The UAE and other Gulf Arab states import at least 6,400 hunted falcons every year, most of them females, according to a specialised falcon magazine in the UAE.

According to Al Saggar quarterly magazine the females are imported more as they are preferred in falconry because of their bigger size.

The main falcon suppliers are Pakistan, Iran, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria and Libya while a few birds are hunted locally.

In a long report on falconry in the UAE and the other GCC and Middle East countries, the magazine said the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are the biggest users of captured falcons in the Middle East given the popularity of falconry sport in the region.

It observed that most of them have set up special hospitals and medical centres to look after their falcons and improve their hunting skills.

"We estimate that more than 6,400 falcons are captured and exported to the Middle East every year, mainly to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain," said Al Saggar, which is published by the UAE Falconers' Club and is chaired by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

"As we know, the traditional prey in falconry is the houbara bustard; since the female falcon is bigger by nearly a third than the male falcon, females are found more suitable to hunt houbaras. This explains the large number of female falcons in the region as they account for nearly 97.5 per cent of the total number of falcons in Saudi Arabia."

Considering the fact that many falcons die during the period between their capture and export, the magazine found that between 6,500 and 8,000 falcons are imported by those five Gulf states. The figures showed 4,000 birds are exported to Saudi Arabia while they were estimated at 1,000 in Qatar and 500-1,000 each in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

"Contacts with various falcon hospitals in the region revealed that nearly 20 per cent of the captured falcons are adults while the rest are babies," the study said.

It pointed to the recent decision by the UAE to join an international agreement on the protection of endangered creatures and plants, known as the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). The move last year was coupled with a decision to issue what has been termed as a 'falcon passport' to become the only country in the world to take such a measure.

The passport, which was issued in late 2002, is designed to organise falcon trading and prevent smuggling of falcons and other illegal activity involving falcons.

The report quoted officials from the Federal Environment Agency as saying more than 4,000 falcons have been registered for passports in the UAE while 2,500 passports have already been issued in Abu Dhabi and nearly 700 in Dubai and other emirates.

"The Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are still receiving many applications from falcon owners to obtain passports which ensure free movement of those birds with their owners. This will ensure better records on falcons in the UAE.

"All information on falcons is being stored in a special database which gives the competent authorities a clearer picture on the falcon situation in the country, the services available for falcon owners and the geographic distribution of those birds. This will also contribute to a better planning for the development of our ancestors' sport and culture."

In a foreword of the magazine, Sheikh Hamdan said the UAE has decided to join the CITES to organise the trade in creatures on the verge of extinction and ensure better protection for them. He said the CITES has been prompted by a sharp expansion in the trade of animals, birds and plants worldwide, estimated at $160-$180 billion a year.

Sheikh Hamdan praised a similar decision by Kuwait and Qatar to join the 157-nation CITES and urged the other GCC states to follow suit. "We urge Bahrain and Oman to join this international convention to enable us to coordinate and complement our efforts in this field."