MEFRG Objectives:To provide:A central body for the co-ordination of research activitiesrelated to falcons and falconry.A common forum for the exchange of information and forpromoting collaborative research programmes.To promote:Research on health and disease in falcons, falcon moulting inthe Middle East, falcon nutrition, domestic breeding.Field studies on falcon migration, taxonomy, morphometrics,reproductive biology and behaviour.Improved management conditions for captive falconsthrough educational awareness programmes.Greater understanding of falconry as a part of Arab culturalheritage.FALCO onlinePrevious issues of FALCO as well as instructions forauthors can be downloaded from:http://www.falcons.co.uk/default.asp?id=131also see new Saker Conservation information portal:www.savethesaker.comTo hold:nd <strong>International</strong> workshops and conferences on veterinaryaspects, falcon biology topics, falconry and conservationissues.To publish:Papers on aspects of falcon conservation, falcons andfalconry.A biannual newsletter/journal containing contributions onmedical. biological and conservation topics of commoninterest, new developments and recent medical advances.Membership:Membership is open to any veterinary surgeon, biologist,conservationist or falconer working in the Middle East orany other person interested and contributing in the fields ofmedical, biological and conservation aspects of falcons andfalconry worldwide.<strong>Falco</strong> is published biannually and contains papers, reports, letters and announcements submitted by Middle East <strong>Falco</strong>n ResearchGroup Members. Contributions are not refereed: although every effort is made to ensure information contained withinFALCO is correct, the editors cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of contributions. Opinions expressed within are thoseof the individual authors and are not necessarily shared by the editors.Contributions can be sent to the Editors of FALCO:Dr Andrew Dixon and Dr Tom BaileyEditorial address:Veterinary contributions:Dr Andrew DixonDr Tom Bailey<strong>International</strong> <strong>Wildlife</strong> <strong>Consultants</strong> <strong>Ltd</strong>Dubai <strong>Falco</strong>n HospitalP.O. Box 19, Carmarthen P.O. Box 23919SA33 5YL, Wales, UKDubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: (0044) 1267 253742 Tel: 00971 4 3377576Fax: (0044) 1267 233864 Fax: 00971 4 3379223E-mail: falco@falcons.co.ukE-mail: tom.bailey@dfh.ae
EditorialAt the time ofgoing to press weheard the sad news of the passing away ofHis Highness Shaikh Maktoum Bin RashidAl Maktoum, Vice President and PrimeMinister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Asa co-owner of Dubai’s Godolphin stables hewas best known internationally for his interest inhorse racing, but he was also a great friend of falconry in theregion.Avian influenza or bird flu is probably the biggest issueto affect falconry in the Middle East this season. TheEnvironment Agency of Abu Dhabi (formerly ERWDA) hascoordinated the ‘The National Committee for EmergencyResponse to Bird Flu’ and produced an Action Plan for theUnited Arab Emirates (http://www.ead.ae). These actions bythe UAE authorities are commendable, because within theMiddle East region some countries appear less prepared.In November, ProMED-mail, an internet based discussionprogram of the <strong>International</strong> Society for Infectious Diseases(http://www.isid.org), reported two cases of avian influenzacaused by the deadly H5 strain in unspecified wild birds inKuwait. However, these cases were regarded as “suspected”,because no further details or confirmation from a recognizedreference laboratory were made available to the Office<strong>International</strong> des Epizooties (OIE), the officially recognisedinternational organisation that reports notifiable veterinarydiseases (http://www.oie.int). In early December, ProMEDmailreported avian influenza in Libya, although theauthorities there contradicted local press reports and deniedthe disease had occurred. In December the H5N1 strain ofavian influenza was isolated in a saker falcon that died ina <strong>Falco</strong>n Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (see the lettersto <strong>Falco</strong> section). Interestingly, despite confirmation of thestrain from a German reference laboratory the authorities inSaudi Arabia have not reported this case to the OIE. Thelack of transparency and openness in disease reporting in theregion is unlikely to be helpful in the control of this diseaseand should concern those tasked with keeping notifiablediseases out of the region.Movement restrictions on the importation of wild caughtbirds, including houbara bustards and falcons, have beenimplemented by regional governments. It might havebeen expected that this season, with wild bird imports“theoretically” banned, with well publicized bird flupublic information campaigns by the media, with the readyavailability of large numbers of high quality healthy captivebred falcons and with the ability to mass-produce houbarabustards in captivity for training, that the trade in wildbustards and wild falcons might have diminished. It has beendisappointing to hear reports that wild-caught birds were stillbeing bought into the region. As we go to press, Turkey hasjust confirmed the first human deaths caused by avian flu thathave occurred outside Asia. <strong>Falco</strong>ners and veterinarians mustwork together to keep this potentially devastating disease outof the region. Consequently, in this issue of <strong>Falco</strong> we havean article and two letters on avian flu and it can be seen thatthis is a topic that stimulates differences in opinion.In our editorial for the last issue of <strong>Falco</strong> we mentioned theReview of Significant Trade in Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns that is beingundertaken by the CITES, and hopefully there will be somefurther news to report from the 22nd meeting of the CITESAnimals Committee in Peru in July 2006. This trade reviewprocess is concerned primarily with recommendations forgoverning a legal trade in Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns, but it has beenrecognized for a long time that the trade in falcons forfalconry also involves considerable illicit trade. Concernsabout this illicit trade led to calls for the establishment ofa task force to examine law enforcement related issues.Consequently, the CITES <strong>Falco</strong>n Enforcement Task Forcewas established, comprising enforcement officials fromthose countries most affected by illicit trade in falcons. TheCITES <strong>Falco</strong>n Enforcement Task Force was charged withorganizing a meeting to establish a network of officials thatwould be responsible exchanging information to facilitatethe detection of illicit trade incidents. The UAE hosted thefirst meeting of the CITES <strong>Falco</strong>n Enforcement Task Forcein November 2005 (see News and Announcements section).Now CITES has two parallel processes running, the review oflegal trade of Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns and the task force investigatingillicit trade in all falcons. Given that a major concern withthe current legal trade in wild caught Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns is thelack of transparency in the process and the suspicion that itis open to abuse by corrupt government officials it will beinteresting to see if the remit of the new task force will alsocover this aspect of illicit trade.Thanks to a kind donation by Dr. Dan Brimm and Lisa Jerezwe are able to provide Arabic translations of articles andthe editorial as part of our commitment to expanding ourreadership. We extend our thanks to Dr. Monif Al Rashidifor his interesting contribution from Saudi Arabia, we needmore articles from our Arabic readers, and appeal to ourArabic colleagues, scientists, veterinarians or falconers,to contribute in future issues of <strong>Falco</strong>. This is your regionand your opinions matter. Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns breeding in bothAsia and Europe can pass through or spend the winter inthe Middle East, consequently breeding populations ofthis species, wherever they occur in the world fall withinour sphere of interest. In this issue, Dimitar Ragyov andVesselina Shishkova report on the population trend of theSaker <strong>Falco</strong>n in Bulgaria over the last century. This studyforms part of a project to develop a network of researchersto get a better understanding of the status of the species insoutheast Europe and Turkey, a region with little detailedinformation on Saker <strong>Falco</strong>ns. We also wish to thank JevgeniShergalin (<strong>International</strong> <strong>Wildlife</strong> <strong>Consultants</strong> <strong>Ltd</strong>) foridentifying interesting material for inclusion in this issue.Editorial update on 29/1/6 at the time of going to pressAt the time of sending <strong>Falco</strong> to press regional newspapers inthe Middle East (Emirates Today, Sunday 29th 2006) reportedthat 37 falcons were culled in a <strong>Falco</strong>n Hospital in Riyadh,Saudi Arabia because of an outbreak of H5 influenza. Thefact that the Saudi authorities are now acting to deal with thisH5 outbreak is a step in the right direction, although manyquestions remain on why the response was delayed for solong.
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