SPORT & OUTDOOR
Falconry With UAE National Day approaching, we decided to get in touch with our adopted country’s roots and send our intrepid staffer, Matt, out to the desert to learn how to master the most traditional of Emirati sports… falconry Let’s face it, your average Bedouin never had to tackle the checkout line at Spinneys – when it came to food, they had to catch their own, or train their birds to do it for them. Thankfully, the most trouble your average punter has these days is sneaking that 11th item in the ten-or-less queue, but those ancient skills are still very much alive today. Falconry is still a major sport in the UAE, and revered by Emiratis, and the lovely people at Shaheen xtreme falconry kindly agreed to show me how to do it. Bird handling? Should be a piece of cake. Learning about the bird “The most important thing to understand is that falcons have no sense of loyalty,” explains Pete, Managing Director at Shaheen. The falcons, he explains, don’t care about their owners – all they want is food, and they know you have it. Given their potential ferocity and speed – falcons can travel up to a whopping 320kmph – this seems like a fairly intimidating prospect. Yeah, about that cake… As well as speed, falcons also clock up some other crazy digits – price, for one. The birds I was introduced to (I said hi, they didn’t say much back) carried a hefty price tag, with one costing Dhs50,000 alone. Wow – I wasn’t sure what I found more intimating, that or their claws. OK, it was their claws – but the handlers insisted that the birds weren’t out to hurt me – but there had to be a level of respect. Flying to glove With a one-year-old falcon, Bear, on her arm, trainer Louise, shows me how to remove the bird’s hood. I then go stand down wind from her kitted up with a special glove and a piece 100 WHAT’S ON OCTOBER 2011
“The most important thing to remember is falcons have no sense of loyalty” of, what I’m told is, quail clasped between my fingers. As I stretch my arm out with the bait easily visible Bear takes flight, lands on my hand and proceeds to rip the quail to pieces – awesome. The Lure This is the bit I was most excited – and nervous – about. The lure is a length of rope with a dead quail attract to the end. It is swung around like a lasso in order to attached the bird’s attention while it is flying, and then laid on the ground so the falcon can swoop in and nab it, the flyer’s job is to make the bird work for its ‘kill’ by pulling the lure away just as it is about to snag the bait. Pete shows me the technique and talks me through the process, warning me to always keep my eyes on the bird at all times. As I mimic his
demonstration, the bird circles above and the adrenaline begins pumping. Bear then changes direction and swoops down for the kill. I manage to hoist the bait away at the last second, but there is no time to take the plaudits as Bear circles back for round two. Verdict Having never so much as held a bird of prey before, to be that close to such intimidating creatures was actually a lot scarier than I thought it would be – but it was thrilling at the same time. Whilst flying the falcons I was completely in awe of them – it’s certainly quite a buzz watching and handling them. I wonder how good they are with shopping lists? Royal Shaheen Events, Dhs200 to 400. Tel: (04) 4356550. shaheenxtreme.com