Falconry is an important part of the cultural code of the Arab world. But in Russia they have long hunted with hunting birds. Well-trained falcons cost fabulous money, and court falconers sometimes had a meteoric career. The «molecule» dealt with the problem of conservation, reproduction and reintroduction of Red Book falcons. We analyzed the prospects associated with the growing and strengthening cooperation in this area between Russia and Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, hunting with hunting birds has become a symbol of friendship, unity, participation and freedom over the centuries, and subsequently, through the efforts of an international association from 18 countries, it was included in the UNESCO representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of mankind.

«Day of the Falcon»
In 2023, the International «Falcon Day» was held for the first time as part of the Eastern Economic Forum, also organized by the Roscongress Foundation. The pilot event, which opened the opening day of the WEF, aroused increased public interest due to its aesthetics and exoticism. It was beautiful and touched the most delicate emotional strings of both the guests of the forum and the numerous media representatives who covered it. In the pavilion of the same name, rare falcons were presented: gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons, Saker falcons, bred in domestic nurseries, with a geography from the Moscow region to Vladivostok. The business program of the Falcon Day, which was attended by speakers from the Persian Gulf countries, included several panel discussions: on the applied use of hunting birds; a scientific approach to the conservation of rare species of falcons; methods for reproducing natural populations of falcons in nurseries; the use of birds of prey as a natural bioregulator in various fields, including aviation. The program of the event ended with the first auction of falcons in the modern history of Russia. The white gyrfalcons from the Kamchatka «Falcon Center» caused the greatest excitement among the public, among which the buyers in Tobakh stood out.
The federal program for the conservation and restoration of the natural population of the Red-listed falcons was launched in 2021 by order of the President. As part of it, a falconry center was established in the Kamchatka Territory and it is planned to build a bustard population restoration center (also red book) in the Republic of Kalmykia — a natural feeding base for falcons. This comprehensive approach to the problem was suggested by Arab experts who have been engaged in the restoration of the falcon population for almost three decades, and not only at home. Both falconry and drophy kennels are being opened in the UAE and in other countries (Morocco, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan). The International Bustard Conservation Foundation has been established in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to this set of measures, the number of rare birds has increased significantly in recent years: raised in nurseries, they are then released en masse. At the end of August last year, fifty experimental Kazakhstani beauty bustards were released on the territory of the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve in the Republic of Tyva, on the border with Mongolia. Later, in November, two dozen more bustards from Uzbekistan went into the wild in Kalmykia, followed by the same number in the spring of this year. Under the supervision of the Head of Kalmykia, Batu Khasikov (who also joined the organizing committee of the Falcon Day), the republic has thoroughly prepared for the construction of the drophy center. Together with the specialists of the All-Russian Research Institute «Ecology» and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,
ornithological expeditions. In order to share their experience, Kalmyk scientists under the leadership of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kalmykia Ochir Dzhambinov hosted guests from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and visited the branch of the Emirati nursery in Uzbekistan. A scientific program for the reintegration of bustards in Kalmykia and the Northwestern Caspian region has been developed, designed for 25 years. Based on the results of preliminary surveys, it was decided to release into the wild, in cooperation with Arab specialists, not several dozen, but 500,600 birds, in order to determine the optimal location for the construction of the Center after monitoring their migrations. In short, the most delicious dish for them will certainly be served in abundance to the table of the preserved and revived falcons. And wealthy Middle Eastern guests will be able to obtain permits to hunt with falcons in the expanses of the Russian steppes and bring considerable funds to the income of the Russian state. Hunting with hunting birds has been one of the most revered traditions on the Arabian Peninsula for centuries. Even the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, Hamza bin Abdul Mutallib, loved to hunt with falcons.

On Falcon Day in 2023, a framework declaration of intent on the conservation of the gyrfalcon population was signed between Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Mongolia, and in 2024, Bahrain and Kuwait joined it at the second Falcon Forum within the framework of the WEF.
The signatory countries intend to combat poaching, smuggling and illegal trade, as well as fully support falcon nurseries.

Poaching, smuggling, bureaucracy and politics
The huge popularity of falconry in rich Middle Eastern countries, coupled with a declining bird population (due to which almost the entire genus was listed in the Red Book), gave rise to phenomena such as poaching and smuggling. Some time ago, birds captured by chicks in the wild were of the greatest value to falconers. It was believed that only such falcons, and not incubator falcons from a nursery, could be successfully trained to hunt. And those who wanted to sell red Book falcons to the Middle East at a higher price, bypassing the CITEC convention (the international agreement on trade in rare species of flora and fauna, to which 184 countries of the world joined), stretched across the borders. It happened that the heads of reputable
nurseries did this, for which they received prison sentences.

Currently, techniques and equipment have been developed for effective hunting training for young breeding falcons. And Arab falconry enthusiasts began to show more and more interest in birds from Russia. State—level support for falcon nurseries and rehabilitation centers has proven to be the most effective way to combat poaching. There are more than twenty of them in Russia and they have more than enough problems. Only recently, due to new environmental federal programs, Russian nurseries have begun to receive government funding. But, as before, most continue to seek funds for their scientific and environmental programs from the sale of falcons abroad, mainly to the Middle East, and run into high bureaucratic walls erected by both the Russian representative of CITEC, represented by VNII Ekologiya, and Rosprirodnadzor. On the one hand, the export of national wealth, such as falcons, must be legally impeccable and fully comply with signed international agreements (the Soviet Union joined the CITEC Convention in 1976, and Russia assumed obligations under it in 1992). On the other hand, if Russian sellers are late due to paperwork for the start of a falcon auction, for example, in Abu Dhabi (September 1), then it is the falcons who will suffer in the end, paradoxically
.

The director of the nursery of birds of prey from the Moscow region, Peregrinus falcon, expressed his wishes to the officials.
Peter Volkov:
— Our main problem is obtaining permits. I am also the owner of a European nursery. How is this done in «unfriendly countries»? The livestock has been removed, ringed — a regional representative of the local nature supervision arrives, describes the livestock, signs an act and takes it to the regional nature supervision. He draws up the relevant documents there and transmits them to the central office, which then has the most complete data on all birds bred in this nursery, up to grandparents, including the results of genetic tests. When a buyer appears at the nursery, an application is submitted to the central office, a contract with the buyer is attached to it and the banding data is indicated, which cannot be forged. Based on the information from the database, a CITES export certificate is issued to a third country (mainly in the Middle East). This speeds up the process of officials interacting with nurseries and CITES and reduces the percentage of errors related to the human factor, because there is time for a thorough data check before sending. This is usually done within 15 business days in Europe, but in Russia it takes months. Because of this, we are losing the enormous potential of our birds. And not only related to their sale abroad, but also to their release into the wild.

The timing of the release of birds from nurseries and rehabilitation centers is another stumbling block, and nurseries have requests for Rosprirodnadzor on this issue. Vladimir Petrov, head of the bird of prey nursery of the Galichya Gora Nature Reserve in the Lipetsk Region, commented on the situation to the Molecule.:
— Our nursery is probably one of the oldest in Russia. It was created in order to preserve the remnants of the European Saker falcon population in the Central Chernozem region, on the basis of Voronezh State University. Since then, the nursery has been working in two directions: the first is scientific, experimental, and the second is environmental. The goal is to reduce the pressure from poachers on natural bird populations by bringing captive—bred chicks to the market. By filling a market niche, we effectively bring down the price and make the poaching business unprofitable (naturally, with the assistance of the state and law enforcement agencies). In this, falconry nurseries have proven their effectiveness. In the first area, we have something to be proud of, for example, the survival of our chicks in nature. But the second one, the breeding of commercial poultry, is stalling from an environmental point of view. What is the problem? Raising falcons is not a one—day process. It is very difficult to react quickly to changing market conditions and legislation.

The falcon matures over a period of three years. The market is not standing still at this time. If at the beginning of our activity the main clients were hunters who wanted to get hunting birds with practical skills, then over time the market shifted first to the sports component, and in recent years it has become practically a fashion industry, when the main criterion for selecting a falcon was its appearance. And it has become very difficult to change breeding stock quickly and efficiently in order to fill this market, given that the nursery is completely dependent on the income received as a result of sales of part of its livestock. This jeopardizes the scientific component of our work, as well as our ability to keep up with market trends. We need a shorter chain between us and government authorities. Our nursery is located on the territory of the reserve, and a Rosprirodnadzor employee visits us once a week. What other feedback is needed for control?! He can be present at any ringing, at the hatching of all the chicks. It is only when the chick reaches the age when it is already possible to determine its future that the registration of permits begins, which is often greatly delayed. The chain of interaction with government agencies can be simplified by assigning some responsibilities to Rosprirodnadzor employees, who can personally observe the entire process until the chick grows up. It is very disappointing to lose our image (including that of the entire national market) when we receive complaints from our partners if a bird arrives with an inappropriate plumage condition that cannot be maintained in an aviary. The bird must be in free flight. The commercial component of our work is one of the government tools to control the poaching of birds from nature. And we may lose this tool. A bird flying in nature will get to a poacher in perfect condition, while ours is wearing out while sitting in an aviary and waiting for the necessary documents. And it’s a shame when they say that a very beautiful bird has arrived from Russia, but in very poor condition!

Oleg Svetlitsky, director of the Holzan Bird of Prey Monitoring and Rehabilitation Center, which recently opened a branch in Crimea, noted that not every street was celebrating Falcon Day.:
— We are a large center that is engaged in the rehabilitation of birds of prey, their export, as well as public work to promote and develop this Russian market.
I think it makes sense to hold such events as «Falcon Day» in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, taking into account logistics. Today, there are also many difficulties with paperwork and registration of birds. Last year, there were positive trends in the processes of obtaining CITEC certificates, but as a result, Russian nurseries were the last to auction birds in Abu Dhabi, after Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, and sold them at the lowest prices. It wasn’t so much people who suffered from this, but, first of all, the falcons.

The inability of Russian falcons to successfully compete on the international market due to bureaucracy and politics results in insufficient funding for scientific projects, as noted by Sergey Snigirev, director of the Altai Falcon Nursery at the Zoological Center of Altai State University, Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences. Meanwhile, Altai Falcon is studying the morphotype of the Altai gyrfalcon, a unique relic bird, the ancestor of all gyrfalcons. The main way of existence of the nursery is the sale of sakers to Arab countries.

Arab partners: the future belongs to Russia!
While Russian officials from nature solemnly promise to make environmental and international document management as transparent as possible and significantly speed up all bureaucratic processes, protect rare birds of prey from poaching and smuggling, our country’s Arab BRICS partners have already come forward to meet these useful initiatives, ready to help and share scientific and practical developments in the conservation of the falcon population, as well as invest a lot of money and even finance the construction of nurseries. Among the stakeholders, for example, Mr. Sultan Bin Jarrah, the owner of the Binjarra Falcon nursery, which opened 25 years ago in Abu Dhabi. Imad Moskhen Al Hamza, a representative of the nursery, commented on the plans.:

— In recent years, Sultan has wanted to conduct business related to birds in Russia. We really want Russian birds to come to us more often. To do this, of course, it is necessary to solve the problems that are repeated from year to year, and then the future belongs to Russia, everyone will come here for the falcons. I constantly recommend everyone to come to Russia, because Russia is a million times better than Europe! The birds are much stronger and more beautiful here. All eyes are on Russia now, especially after the owner of the nursery, Mr. Sultan, began to regularly buy birds from you. We sincerely hope that all problems will be solved, more and more Arabs will come to Russia for falcons, and birds from Russia will arrive at our auctions healthy.

This year, at the ADIHEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the falcon auction was held online for the first time, in two stages — on August 31 and September 1 and September 6-7. According to its rules, the seller must be officially registered with ADIHEX and submit the approved falcons with a full package of documents to the custody of the organizing committee long before the start of the auction. In 2024, the Organizing Committee introduces the prestigious ADIHEX Falcons Badge, which is awarded to birds purchased at the event. Falcons awarded the ADIHEX Falcons Badge will be eligible to participate in the Presidential Falconry Championship 2024-2025, which is a significant award in the world
of falconry.