RIYADH, 9 October 2005 — The Kingdom has allowed hunters to trap falcons in the wild during Ramadan.
The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) and the governorates in various parts of the Kingdom will issue licenses to Saudi and GCC nationals to hunt falcons outside its 16 protected areas till the end of the holy month.
“Each hunter should possess a valid license issued by the concerned authorities and they should not use firearms to catch these falcons,” said NCWCD Secretary-General Dr. Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada. This gives ample opportunities for hunters to trap their prey easily since those species will be available in large numbers during the season. The license system, he noted, conserves these species during their breeding seasons.
During this season falcons are found mostly in areas such as Al-Jouf, Tabuk, Gurayat and along the Red Sea coast. Local species include Saker, Green and Lanner falcons; their prices range from SR10,000 to SR100,000. The hunted falcons are either sold in the open market or they are trained to help the hunters in tracking animals.
Dr. Abu Zinada said that a new feature of the hunting regulations is that the hunters could only trap a specified species during a single season. The secretary-general explained that during the current season permits will be issued only to hunt falcon; in the coming months, people will be allowed to hunt houbara bustards for a period of three months.
Hunting permits are issued at the local offices of the Interior Ministry. The hunters are not allowed to use firearms but they are allowed to lay traps and to track falcons. Neither are hunters allowed to operate in the 16 protected areas in the Kingdom, the Empty Quarter and in places close to urban settlements.
In view of the Kingdom’s conservation plans, hunters are warned not to kill the endangered species such as oryx, gazelles, ibex, Arabian leopard and ostrich.
