How demand for elite falcons in the Middle East is driving illegal trade of British birds

"In the echoing exhibition halls of Abu Dhabi's International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, hundreds of falcons sit on perches under bright lights. Decorated hoods fit snugly over their heads, blocking their vision to keep them calm. In a small glass room marked Elite Falcons Hall, four young birds belonging to an undisclosed Emirati sheikh are displayed like expensive jewels. Entry to the room, with its polished glass, controlled lighting and plush seating, is restricted to authorised visitors only."

"For thousands of years, people have hunted using falcons over the vast Arabian desert. In the UAE, however, this Bedouin tradition has evolved into a spectacle of wealth and prestige to meet the tastes of the modern Gulf elite. As falconry has become a multimillion-dollar international industry that stretches around the world, an investigation by the Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) shows that it is fed by a shadow industry of the smuggling and illegal capture of wild birds."

"Far from the hot plains and glass skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi, in rural counties across the UK conservationists and police are reporting a troubling pattern. Peregrine falcon chicks are vanishing from remote cliff ledges and treetop nests unreachable without specialist climbing gear. Later, some of these chicks are ending up in deserts in the Middle East, having been issued with fabricated documents, according to police witness statements from people who bought them"

Hundreds of falcons are displayed at elite events in Abu Dhabi, often hooded and kept in restricted, high-end exhibition spaces. Some birds receive Emirati passports, international travel, specialised veterinary care, and travel in customised luxury vehicles. High-value falcons can cost more than luxury cars and function as visible status symbols for the Gulf elite. Traditional Bedouin falconry has been transformed into a multimillion-dollar global industry. A shadow network of illegal capture and smuggling supplies wild birds to the trade. Peregrine chicks in the UK are disappearing from remote nests and later appear in the Middle East with fabricated documents.

Read at www.theguardian.com