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Preparations on to train falcons

Abu Dhabi - Three falcons live in Sultan Al Shamsi's house in Al Ain, in a small building in the front yard he has specially made for them.

  "It will soon be time to take them out again," said Sultan Al Shamsi, anticipating the 14th Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex).
Three falcons live in Sultan Al Shamsi's house in Al Ain, in a small building in the front yard he has specially made for them. The birds' home is fitted with air-conditioning, and the two females and one male spent their entire summer in there. "The Gulf summers are too hot for the falcons. This is the time when their feathers change and they need to be kept in cool places. In late September or October, once the weather starts cooling off, you can take them out and train them for the hunting season," he added.
In the old days, when falconry was an essential tradition in this part of the world, the Bedouin men used to trap the wild birds during their winter migration to Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, train them for several weeks and then use them to hunt prey such as rabbits, houbara, even small gazelles until the following spring.
Threatened by extinction, hunting wild falcons has been illegal for over a decade now. The late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan took the decision to switch to hybrid falcons, leading to the establishment of Adihex 13 years ago. Farm-bred falcons were first introduced here; although falconers took a long time to be convinced, they eventually warmed up to the idea.
"In the early days, farm bred falcons were not very strong; they had many health issues. Later, the breeding techniques became better and now these birds are even preferred over the wild ones," said Sultan.
Now in its 14th year, Adihex - taking place on October 4-8 - is not only an important venue for buying farm bred falcons, but the world's biggest exhibition of its kind. "Environmental awareness, sustainable hunting, falconry ethics... are its main objectives," noted Abdullah Al Qubaisi, director of Adihex.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com