- Collecting birds of prey is a tradition in Arabian peninsula dating back centuries
- Many men in oil-rich Arab states spend thousands of pounds on beloved birds
- Specialist bird hospital in Abu Dhabi kitted out with the latest laser technology
It was the photograph that became an internet sensation - 80 birds of prey travelling in the cabin of a passenger jet.
But the bizarre scene may not have been as unusual as you might suspect.
Many wealthy Arabs collect falcons and the creatures receive care and treatment that is second to none.
Birds of prey wait for health checks and other treatments at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
The
birds, which cost at least £8,000 each, are carried around in luxury
cars, exhibited with pride and even have the services of a specialist
falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Several
Middle East-based airlines have set rules and prices for owners who wish
to take their birds aboard as living hand luggage.
Falconry is an ancient art regarded as integral to Arab heritage and culture.
It
is thought to have been practised in the Middle East for thousands of
years, as Bedouin tribes used the birds to hunt in the desert.
Around 9,000 birds are treated each year for a range of ailments at the Abu Dhabi hospital
Combined
with some of the vast wealth to be found in oil-rich Middle Eastern
countries, it is not surprising the birds are often a little on the
spoilt side.
Owners ensure the birds are tagged with GPS devices in case they get lost.
Prized specimens can reach huge sums, with outstanding breeding birds even selling for as much as £1million.
The
falcons are trained using toy aircraft or drones which are flown with
bait attached by strings, encouraging the creatures to perform in
mid-air.
The photo which emerged earlier this week showed 80 birds of prey filling the cabin of a commercial plane.
The
photo, uploaded to Reddit by a user known only as Lensoo, carried the
caption ‘My captain friend sent me this photo. Saudi prince bought
ticket for his 80 hawks'.
The birds were wearing special hoods to keep them docile and perched calmly among the human passengers.
This extraordinary photograph showed 80 hawks who had been booked on a plane by a Saudi prince
Falconry fans take their birds on a
Qatar Airways flight to Baku. They escape the heat of Doha for a week to
let the birds fly in the cooler air of Azerbaijan
It is believed the birds were booked onto a Qatar Airways flight but this has not been confirmed.
Qatar
Airways guidelines states: ‘You are permitted to carry one falcon on
board the economy class passenger cabin of an aircraft, and a maximum of
six falcons are permitted within the economy class cabin of an aircraft
(country regulations may apply)'.
Transporting the animals with the airline costs between £90 and £500 per bird depending on the destination.
It means the 80 creatures may have cost as much as £40,000 to transport on this one trip.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital says it is the largest of its kind in the world.
Qatari men hold their prized peregrine falcons on a bus after landing at Doha airport
Established
in 1999, it treats and examines about 11,200 falcons a year, with
customers travelling from across the United Arab Emirates and from Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The
hospital boasts an operating theatre, advanced anaesthetic equipment,
an ophthalmology unit, patient monitoring apparatus, latest laser
technology, a digital radiography unit and endoscopy facilities.
The hospital says it has ‘state-of-the-art intensive critical care units’ for up to 11 birds in separate rooms at the same time.
There is also a separate falcon pox unit with thermo-cautery apparatus and other equipment to treat cases of avian pox.
It also has its own breeding centre.
