Falconry is one of those ancient traditions that just won’t go away.
These birds of prey were used for hunting game so that their owners didn’t have to run around all day and catch food, but these days, the tradition continues, albeit in a slightly different form.
A while back, I saw a falconry demonstration in the Dubai desert. Sure, it’s a bit touristy, but still interesting to check out.
Some of these birds cost in the region of 5 figures, so they’re pretty valuable and no one wants to lose one accidentally!
I’m sure many of us have cars that cost way less than one of these birds, which are specially bred to continue the falconry tradition!
Anyway, the aim of this falconry demonstration is to show how the falcon focuses on trying to take the swinging bit of meat (the prey) by flying around and then having a go at it with it’s massive talons!
I’d never come across a falconry demo before, so I was interested to see what it was all about.
Falconry in Dubai Video
There is a bit here where I sort of wear the brown underpants because the falcon flies over my head, but apparently they don’t like humans that much as dinner!
Check it out!
As a side note, the United Arab Emirates spend millions of dollars each year on falcon conservation, including the setup of a number of falcon hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
That’s how much these birds mean to them, and it’s a integral part of their culture. There are even falcon beauty contests that occur each year. Now that’s something I would actually like to see. Sounds weird just like the camel racing, but I’m sure there’s a good reason for it!
So if you see a trained bird going after some game, have a think about how much effort is required to get them to do it!
For more birdy stuff, check out the Edible Birds Nests from Vietnam, Angel Place Bird Cages, the beer drinking Macaw and the Birds Nest Stadium in China.