25/04/2005 – Falcons,
used for centuries to hunt game in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), are being registered
and issued ‘passports’ to help reduce the
illegal trade in the species.
WWF’s UAE project office is working with
local management authorities from the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to create
a passport system to regulate falconry as
well as trade in falcons.
“Today no falcons can be taken abroad by
their owners unless they are in possession
of passports for their birds,” said Dr Frederic
Launay, Director of the WWF UAE Project Office.
“The Falcon Passport provides a legal structure
that complies with CITES and, at the same
time, provides falconers with a permissible,
easy-to-use way to participate in the traditional
sport of falconry.”
Bedouin tribes in the Middle East have long
used falcons for hunting game and sporting
activities, and are an integral part of the
Arab world’s lifestyle and tradition. However,
their numbers in the wild have declined in
recent years, largely as a result from over
trapping.
Certain falcon species are becoming increasingly
rare in the wild, including the saker falcon
(Falco chernig), peregrine falcon (Falco cherrug
perigrinus) and gyr falcon (Falco rusticolus)
– the three most commonly used in falconry.
These species are also listed in CITES Appendix
I or II in which commercial trade is either
not allowed or allowed only with CITES permit.
”Although the clandestine nature of falconry
makes quantification of the illegal trade
difficult, it can be safely assumed that saker,
peregrine and gyr falcons are the most targeted
for the black market,” added Dr Launay. “High
demand coupled with increasing rarity in the
wild has made the trade more profitable.”
With the aim of reducing the illegal trade
in falcons, a passport system has been established
in the UAE, which is linked with an already
existing falcon registration process started
in 2002 with the help of WWF UAE and the CITES
Secretariat.
Depending on the CITES Appendix a falcon
is listed under, falcon owners will be registered
and granted a Falcon Passport for their bird
to ease frequent movement across borders for
purposes of falconry. The UAE CITES Management
Authorities will be responsible for registering
falcons and issuing passports.
Notes:
• Falconry is the art of hunting wild prey
with trained falcons and hawks. The sport
has flourished in the Middle East and Asia
for centuries. Falcons are trapped in the
autumn, used for hunting in the winter, and
released back into the wild in spring. But,
in the last 50 years falconry has changed
because hunting has drastically reduced numbers
of game available for the sport. In search
of better hunting grounds, falconers of the
UAE commonly go to Pakistan or Iran during
the hunting season. As certain falcons are
becoming increasingly rare in the wild, illegal
trade in several species is increasing with
falconers willing to pay high prices for wild-caught
birds.
• Falcon registration requires information
about the owner and his bird (sex, breed,
country of origin, captive-bred or wild, and
required CITES documents). The falcon is then
issued a passport and government ring. A micro-chip
(Passive Induced Transponder - PIT) carrying
an identification number is also implanted
in each bird.
