Falconry or hunting with trained raptors. This type of hunting has been developed since Antiquity and is expressed in man's relationship with birds.
Falconry refers to the sport of catching, or attempting to catch, prey with the aid of trained birds of prey. Falconry takes care of the conservation of birds and their habitats, the return to the wild of recovered birds and the restoration of rare and endangered species through artificial breeding. Falconers primarily hunt birds of prey, but may also hunt rabbits. All birds of prey can be trained to hunt, but the falcon has been the preferred bird of prey from times past to the present. It is fast, sharp-sighted and fearless. Nowadays, falconers prefer only a few species of falcons - the northern, hunting, peregrine, Dalmatian and lesser falcon.
There are dozens of breeding facilities in Western Europe, as not only birds of prey taken from nature are used for hunting. This favours the growth of populations. In Bulgaria there is an increase in the number of birds of the peregrine falcon species.
Falconry in the Arab world
The falcon itself, called sakr (Arab.), is a bird much admired by the Arabs for its captivating beauty, poise, keen sight, and majesty.
In the Arab world, falconry is revered and has been practiced for millennia. One of the Arab tribes, namely the Bedouin hunt with falcons. It is said that for the Bedouin they are the most sacred birds. In the UAE, special attention is paid to their conservation. Not only small game is hunted with them, but also gazelles, bustards, and even ostriches. Bedouins have a very interesting method of training the feathered ones. This method causes the bird to perch on the animal's head, thus preventing it from seeing and orienting itself. It stops and the falconer gets to the prey. After the hunting season is over, some falcons are released back into the wild.
In the Arab world, there are already specialized ultramodern hospitals for the treatment of raptors. They have all the necessary equipment to help the birds. Including audio-visual equipment so that owners can bond with their birds.
Sources: bglov.com, en.wikipedia.org,pixabay.com, pexels.com
