Yup, I got a little surprise when Arab News gave me ‘Mongolian falcon sells for SR650,000’ (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2618097/saudi-arabia) yesterday In Saudi Arabia an Mongolian falcon was sold for 650,000 reals (A$264,000). Now, I would pay that (if I had that kind of cash) a lot more willing for a Falcon than a car, so there is that, but I was boggled how that chip little tweeter is worth that much money.
And lets be clear, I have zero, zilch, nada knowledge on falcon and I had until now never heard of that brad of bird. So as I was ‘informed’ through “The most expensive Mongolian falcon to date was sold Monday at the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition 2025 for SR650,000 ($173,276) following intense bidding.” And the two images in Arab News shows the bird and the intense interest there was in that bird. I grew up in the Netherlands and we had peregrine falcons in the Netherlands but the were rare to say the least. The lot got near extinction when we dabbled with pesticides in the Netherlands and at present there are supposed to be around 200 breeding pairs today, but it was a close call. So when I saw this news I was happy to learn that some people take a rather large interest in keeping falcons. I know that there was interest, but until now I did not know how much and how far into the Arabic nations it is spread. And as we are told that “the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition dedicated a special zone to Mongolian falcons, which hold a distinguished status among falconers in the Kingdom and the region for their exceptional quality” and that makes me happy.
As I see it, I would jump for joy if the global pesky vermin population (aka people of the world) gets to be made extinct to about 97.3% (an important number) as it would allow the wildlife on a global scale become resurrected to the state it was pre 1700. Yes, I know it is rather nasty of me, but as I see it, the global wildlife would take my side in this matter. So as we are given “thanks to its resilience to harsh conditions and quick responsiveness to training, making it one of the most sought-after species among both amateurs and professionals.” To be clear, I have no interest to even be an amateur falconer. I reckon that my lack of knowledge and lack of funds implies that I wouldn’t be able to keep a Falcon. You need a Mews (Bird Housing), Equipment, Telemetry/GPS (to keep track of where Tweety went of to), Books and Supplies and a Food Freezer. This will set you back a fair amount of thousands as I see it, the Mews is likely the smallest cost if you have the space. And that is before that a bird of prey needs an abundant amount of time, making it a hobby for the rich non-working population, or able to shift lots of time around.
So even as I love the idea, there is not way that I would be able to keep interested in this hobby which for some people seem to be a calling. And that is before we consider that some people go beyond the Falcon and go for the Hawks or Eagles, I reckon that Harry Potter got the simplest setting with an Owl, or at least that is what I think and my point of view might not matter, but how many of you knew that Falconry has such a massive following in Saudi Arabia? I wonder how deep Falconry sits with the Emirati people. As such I was happy to learn a new useless snippet of knowledge. It is useless as life in Australia is not overburdened with Saudi facts, or with falconry settings. I have learned that it is “not explicitly illegal in Australia, but its practice is highly restricted due to stringent regulations governing the use and possession of birds of prey” and you can read more on that (at https://falconry.com.au), so have a great day today.
Lawrence van Rijn - Law Lord to be 