Falcons are all the rage in Qatar and the region. For the Marmi International Falcon and Hunting Festival, which began earlier this month at Sealine in Mesaieed, around 1,500 participants from across the Gulf are slated to participate.
Organised by Al Gannas Society, the seventh edition of the month-long annual event aims to do what its previous and upcoming editions would – keep the traditional skills and practices alive and hand them down to future generations.
Following this event is another important initiative related to falcons, Qatar’s second International Veterinary Falcon Conference (FalCon) – organised by Al Gannas in collaboration with Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital and the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey – which will be held from January 26 to 29.
“FalCon is a pioneer global forum to review the latest advances in the field of falcon veterinary, and a unique opportunity for veterinarians, scientists, researchers, falconers and relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations to address providing falcons with scientifically-based care and discuss the cutting-edge research and literature in this field,” says a note on the event, which kicks off at 8.30am on January 26 at Al Jasra Hotel, Souq Waqif.
“The conference will be composed of lectures on birds of prey (mainly falcons), endoscopy, orthopaedic, ophthalmology and soft tissue surgery master classes and practical lab and excursions including ‘Marmi, The Challenge’ (falcons’ competitions),” the note adds.
FalCon enlists its mission in good detail: It aims to shed light on falcons in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf region, and find the suitable veterinary solutions to address the current diseases; improve the scientific research movement in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf; establish a collective scientific authority and reference specialised in falcon veterinary, with Qatar as the main platform; review the significance and value of falcons biologically and ecologically; encourage scientists and researchers of different fields such as Biology, Ethology, Ecology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, etc. to employ their area of expertise to gain a better insight into falcons; and raise awareness of falcons’ health and the importance of conservation.
The programme of the four-day conference features discussions on a wide range of issues related to understanding falcons and their needs. Sample some of the subjects that will be covered on the first day of the event: The scientific foundation and the nutrition requirement for falcon by Dr Hussain Yawir; A genetic and genomic approach to understand the complex traits in falcons and address the multifactorial challenges by Farooq Bin Omar al-Ejli; Surveillance of endoparasites in falcons in Qatar from 2011 and Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital: Past, Present and Future by Dr Ikdam al-Karkhi; Falcon tradition and alternative medicine by Ali al-Mesned; and an update on the potential zoonoses in hunting falcons by Dr Amrita Deb.
There’s also the Dr Qurar Ul Ain’s talk on the study of bacteriology in falcons presented to Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital in 2014-2015; Dr Francois le Grange’s case report on a cape vulture with 220 bee stings around head and neck; and Dr Lorenzo Crosta’s clinical cases of birds of prey, which will close the day’s talks.
In the following days, there will be Dr David Scott’s interactive master class on Interesting Raptor Cases. Professor Dr Michael P Jones will elaborate on emergency medicine and critical care of birds of prey; Dr Faisal Cheeran will shed light on the radiographic evaluation of the sizes of internal organs in falcons; Prasoon E Raheem will speak on Molecular Biology – Past, Present and Future in Clinical Diagnosis; and Dr Osama Yacoub will explain the impact of the environment and the falconer’s misconduct on the falcon’s health in the Gulf region.
What do we know and what we don’t about Newcastle disease in falcons is a subject Dr Mahmoud Hassan will tackle. Dr Wouter Pieters will expand upon the topic of surgery of traumatic injury of lessor adjutant.
Dr Kristina Moser will talk on the three dimensional ultrasonography of avian eyes, especially in birds of prey. Dr Christina Hebel will emphasise on ‘Scoop the poop’ or the importance of routine fecal exams for falcons. Dr Hesham Akabawi’s masterclass will cover novel bone graft with an osteoinductive surface: the next generation of grow factor for orthopaedics.
For more details and registration, check out www.falconqatar.qa.
BIRD’S EYE: FalCon aims to shed light on falcons in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf, and find suitable veterinary solutions to address the current diseases; improve the scientific research movement in the region.
