ON SOME airlines in the Middle East, falcons are permitted in the main cabin of the aeroplane. They perch on the armrest and their owners pay heavily for the privilege. In a region where falconry permeates so deeply into public life, it is perhaps not a surprise that there is a hospital devoted entirely to falcons. And it is one of which many human patients around the world would be envious.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital in the United Arab Emirates has more than 250 rooms devoted to falcons, treating more than 7000 feathered patients a year. This one, under anaesthetic, is a saker falcon (Falco cherrug), its name coming from the Arabic word for falcon, "saqr". The birds have been flown in the Middle East for more than 6000 years.
A large bird – its wingspan can reach 130 centimetres – the saker falcon hunts by chasing its avian prey horizontally, rather than swooping from on high like peregrines.
Among the diseases the birds suffer from is a falcon pox virus, and the hospital has a dedicated pox unit. It also has an X-ray unit, two endoscopy rooms, a small surgery and 11 intensive-care units. Sakers are highly susceptible to H5N1 bird flu, because their prey, such as pigeons, are commonly infected during outbreaks.
This article appeared in print under the headline "The falcon hospital"
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