More than two thousand falcons released into the wild

Over the past 30 years, more than two thousand falcons have been released into their natural habitat as part of a programme to conserve the falcon population. The initiative was launched by the UAE’s founding father and first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1995.

This year, as the programme completes its 30th season, 63 falcons, including 38 peregrine falcons and 25 saker falcons, have been released into migratory territories covering parts of Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Mongolia and neighbouring countries.

These areas provide ideal habitat for falcons to feed on rich prey. The release was supervised by the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.

Abu Dhabi and the UAE continue to lead the way in conservation and wildlife protection, particularly in internationally recognised efforts to conserve falcons and other wildlife species of ecological, cultural and historical significance.

All falcons participating in the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme have undergone a comprehensive veterinary examination and intensive training. In addition to the usual identification rings, all birds were implanted with electronic chips.

A representative sample of 10 falcons (five birds of each species) were fitted with tracking devices connected to satellites with solar-powered batteries.

This allows survival rates, dispersal and migration pathways to be tracked, and scientific data used to improve rehabilitation, training, release and selection of suitable sites for falcons each year to be collected.

Source: Khaleej Times