Arabian Daze - 17

Back in late February of this year, a friend and I traveled to the U.A.E and Oman for an 8 day adventure aboard the cruise ship, Costa Fortuna. It's been a while since I updated the 'Arabian Daze' series on this trip; today, we'll play catch up. You can review the series (1~16) below:

Arabian Daze 1   2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    11    12    13    14    15    16

In the Middle East, many rich Arabs keep falcons as pets, training them to hunt small desert critters. The local airline, Ethiad, even allows these beautiful birds inside the cabin with their owners, when they must travel to Saudia Arabia or other countries (source).  So loved are these birds in Arabia, there is a hospital which treats falcons -- the only one of its kind in the world -- in Abu Dhabi. At this port, I joined a tour organized by the cruise line to visit this special hospital and see the birds up close.

Our tiny tour group of nine traveled via van through the city. I could snap a few photos of the honeycombed buildings and the Arabic nation's other love -- horses:

Bottom left: a falcon passport 

Once arriving at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, we were treated to a lecture by one doctor. He explained the history of falconry, the birds, how they are trained, etc. The most unique piece of information we learned, was that each falcon has its own passport!! The passport is not only used for identification, but also to show legal ownership and vaccinations. Wow!


We passed quickly through the hospital's waiting area, which was quite surreal: inside, I saw several Arabs, in full white dress, sitting playing with their cell phones, while, at their feet sat several beautiful falcons. 0_0

Beyond the waiting area, we got to see even more of these stellar birds up close; below are some examples. The white falcon was from Canada, I was told. ^_^

Bottom right: the hospital's waiting room,
with 3 falcons awaiting their appointments.

The hospital was extremely professional, and I noticed many doctors were busy taking care of various falcons. The doctor explained the most common appointments are for:  replacing missing feathers, filing down beaks and talons, as well as general check ups. 

Top left: benches of falcons awaiting their checkups / 
Top right: wrist guard, feathers and tools

Bottom left: table with gas mask, designed specifically for the falcon/
Bottom right: leather glove for holding the falcon

Our guide/ doctor demonstrated how all falcons must be put to sleep before any procedure can be undertaken. Sliding the bird into the fitted mask, the gas took about 3~4 minutes to put the falcon out. The doctor then explained and demonstrated how to trim the falcon's talons. 

Top right: Tiny, leather eye masks, which are placed over the falcons' heads to keep the birds calm and relaxed. 

Bottom photos: cutenekko gets to hold one falcon, even touching it!!!

This concludes the tour of the inside of the hospital. The doctor took our group outside to view the immense grounds of the hospital. I will post photos soon. I hope you'll come back for more! ^_^


~ Information ~

The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital offers tours of the facility. Advanced reservations are required. See their website HERE for information. 

Interested in taking a cruise of the Middle East? Explore Costa Cruise line's website HERE. Our 8-day cruise cost $515 USD per person.