Release target for Asian Houbara exceeded

Release target for Asian Houbara exceeded

For the first time this year at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX), the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) announced it has exceeded yearly expectations of Asian Houbara release into the wild. “This year has been remarkable to us in terms of success”. As we know some hunters are killing Houbara using shotguns, giving the bird a zero survival chance in that case, as opposed to the slight chance of escape the houbara gets when being hunted by a falcon. A reason for this is the difference in mentality that modern hunters have as opposed to their forefathers who grew up in harsh conditions and were accustomed to giving back to nature as much as they took from it. Another reason, the Director General revealed, is that many trap these birds and take them from their habitats in order to train their falcons how to hunt. Many falconers have drifted away from traditional methods of hunting, by over-trapping houbara birds, which are not the falcon’s natural prey in the first place.

They are trying to increase the numbers of houbara by using hatching machine and specialized centers with experienced people; that’s why the survey will indicate how many wild birds are trapped and which areas require the reintroduction program. They believe that some people are overhunting in some places, that some people are not using the traditional method of hunting and they are using shotguns. They need to develop a strategy of how to work for these people so it's very important to know what they have in mind. The survey will give clues to past houbara behavior. This will hopefully mean houbara will not be taken from the wild to train falcons. Well actually, the hunting exhibition is the best place to help us be in contact as much as we can with falconers, and this gives us a very good indication of the hunting pressure and the problems these birds are facing. So as we can see it is a big leap from the 2,726 chicks bred last year, thanks to the transfer of 5,000 houbara, including 3,000 breeding birds, from the IFHC center in Morocco. Some people said that the houbara are inspiring them in many ways.