Education

The International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Abu Dhabi 2014) announced a general invitation for falcon farms and their owners to participate in the contest of the best looking and largest falcons in the world. Participating in this contest goes according to the following categories: (The Best Gyr-Peregrine Bred in Captivity, The Best 3/4 "three quarter" Bred Pure Gyr, The Best Gyr Male, The Best Pure Gyr, in addition to the contest of The Best Stand of Falconry and Its Equipment in the Exhibition.

Emirates Falconers Club formed a judging committee consisting of UAE and international experts in the field of falcons and their breeding. Participating falcons are accurately evaluated according to various qualifications; such as weight, measures of the bird's body, in addition to their feather's consistency and colour, and details of the bird's head, body and legs. Participating falcons are evaluated as well according to the beauty of their general look, as well as their health and being free of diseases.

The coming 12th edition of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers Club, supported by The Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in Abu Dhabi, and organized by the Emirates Falconers Club and Informa Exhibitions Company from the 10th to the 13th of coming September in Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre.

The internationally unique contest of The Best Falcons Bred in Captivity (hybrid), which is annually organized by the Emirates Falconers Club, succeeded in motivating falconers to use hybrid falcons as suitable alternatives in falconry, and consequently doing without using monster falcons in the wild, which enables them to breed in greater numbers. This contest is oriented to the owners of falcon breeding farms all over the world and in the region of the Arabian Gulf.

The Falcon Beauty Contest became world-renowned and attracted various participants who are committed to offer the best they have of the breeding falcons in falcon farms all over the world and in the region. This contest gained the appreciation of the regional and international bodies interested in preserving the heritage and conserving the environment; due to the great motivation this contest granted for falconers to preserve the wild falcons.

The sport of hunting using falcons (falconry) is practiced in more than 80 countries around the world. In November 2010, the international efforts led by the UAE succeeded in including falconry in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a living heritage of humanity among the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, since falconry is one of the main pivots of UAE and Arab heritage.

Through this unique achievement, falconry achieved the most sophisticated and important international recognition. According to the Emirates Falconers Club, this beautiful hobby does not mean practising hunting only, but it rather represents a range of social and inherited traditions and values, and a repertoire rich of cultural heritage that dates back to thousands of years that countries, groups and individuals share, cherish and are proud of.

The project of registering falconry in the UNESCO, which was adopted by Abu Dhabi and the UAE, is one of the heritage projects that offer a unique model in coexistence and cultural and civilizational integration among peoples of the world.

Emirates Falconers Club is participating in the events of the 12th edition of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Abu Dhabi 2014), where visitors will learn about the Wild Falcon Release Programme, which is one of the ancient traditions launched by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God have mercy upon him), the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, in the field of protecting creatures. This programme has been running on since 1995 up till today, as hundreds of pure and Peregrine falcons were released in their original habitats, in order to give them the opportunity to breed again and increase their numbers.

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