When the falcons go marchin' in... to a hospital!

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon, which enables it to strike and destroy its victim
– Sun Tzu

On the second day of 2017, one highly bewildered co-passenger tweeted photos of his anonymous economy class flight that saw more falcons on the seats than humans. These 80 birds with speckled bodies and printed wings in shades of brown, white and grey, sporting tiny 'aviator caps' that covered their eyes, belonged to a Saudi prince. Whether the birds of prey were treated to a vacation or meant to assist His Highness in a game of hunting, we'd never know, but the incident spawned a slew of reactions on Twitter, like this one: "Why did the prince buy plane tickets for his 80 falcons?" "So he could see them fly." #badjoke

Emiratis rolled their eyes over the hullabaloo born out of what they took to be Western ignorance. For it was in 2015 that the UAE government had issued passports to falcons in captivity, making them eligible to secure a ticket and visa, and board a flight. So, a falcon can have a seat to itself, uncaged, next to its owner, at the same price as its human co-passenger.


[(Left) Falcons patiently await their turn at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (ADFH) as tourists watch them, fascinated; a tourist poses with a falcon]

Emiratis consider falcons as their 'babies' and keep them perched by their bedside. It's quite common to find logos and emblems, and posters of sheikhs posing with the winged carnivore on the streets of Abu Dhabi. While falconry is a sport in parts of Europe, in Emirati nations, it began as a hunting game where the falcon ganged up with the owner to take down a prey. Falconry is permitted in the Quran, and was initially the rite of passage for Arab boys. Even UNESCO included it in its 2012 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity' list. The 40-plus falcon varieties easily prey on beings three to four times bigger than themselves, using their razor-sharp talons. It's important to know, falcons do not attack humans.

It was such fascinating titbits that I ODed on at the tour of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (ADFH), the largest avian facility in the Gulf. Set up in 1999, it treats 9,000 falcons every year from all Emirati nations, and also other birds, dogs and cats. It encompasses a pet-care centre and animal shelter. Situated on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, the hospital – built like a cottage – is in the middle of an arid patch, with an exit that's easy to miss if you don't spot the road sign. It's 10 minutes from the international airport, 20 minutes beyond the gilded Sheikh Zayed Mosque that holds the world's largest chandelier and hand-woven carpet, with the hospital still benefiting from patronage of the late sheikh. Falcon busts grace the sprawling lawns in pebble and grass, over which peacocks sunbathe and owls snooze in their outdoor cages.

For a peek into the swanky life of the Bedouin culture's oldest pet, the ADFH is a must visit. Helmed by the German veterinary surgeon Dr Margit Gabriele Müller, the 24/7 facility is designed like your usual hospital. It has 200 beds, multiple surgery rooms, an ICU, an ophthalmology department for X-Rays and routine check-ups, quarantined rooms for birds with contagious diseases, and a breeding centre. The two air-conditioned aviary tents stink as they house falcons during their long periods of 'moulting' or shedding feathers. The reception area is always abuzz with anxious owners admitting their injured or ailing pets or pacing about while their 'baby' is in the surgery room.

On the daily ADFH tour, you are educated about all things falcon, espcially the size, crossbreeds, and speed of three falcon breeds: peregrine, saker and gyrfalcon. Here, 20 tourists and I marvelled at the falcons that obediently await their turn, gripped to benches carpeted in synthetic grass mats. Spellbound, we watched a vet sedate a falcon and proceed to give it a 'manicure'; trim and sharpen the talons and beak. Later, he super-glued together a broken feather. In place of a missing feather, he fitted in one with the exact dimensions and colour on the wing. These spare feathers, we're informed, are the ones that fall off during moulting, which the staff dutifully collect and file away in slot chambers in order of the breed and placement in the wing. We also watched a falcon polish off a frozen quail in five-six morsels under two minutes. The best part: balancing the falcon on your arm for a photo-op.

It's a rare chance to look into those jet-black eyes, surprisingly demure up-close, which after a while become remindful of Nietzsche's quote... "if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you." It's also a chance to caress that exceptionally soft chest. Perhaps, I did it right, along with some cooing, because the bird cocked its head in my direction, in what, I bet, was an appreciative glance.

Every time I happen to see the tiny aviator cap that I picked from the souvenir store, the falcons on the hospital bench come to mind and I hope each one of them gets well soon.