Saudi princes caught illegally transporting rare falcons

Two Saudi Arabian princes have been caught illegally transporting 49 rare falcons through Russia.

Rosprirodnadzor, Russia's nature watchdog, said the falcons had been brought into the country in early November for a bird show without the necessary paperwork under CITES, the international treaty restricting trade in endangered wildlife.

Customs officials have been ordered to intercept any attempt by the two men to take the birds out of the country.

One of the two princes travelling with the falcons is reportedly Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, the undersecretary for multilateral relations of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry.

Falcons are prized status symbols in Saudi Arabia where they are used for hunting. Natalya Dronova of World Wildlife Fund Russia said the 49 rare birds include 33 Saker falcons, four Peregrines, and one Gyrfalcon. They were flown into Astrakhan in Russia for an avian show in the neighbouring Kalmykia region which borders the Caspian, but arrived without the necessary CITES documents from their country of origin.

Rosprirodnadzor refused permission for the birds to be returned to Saudi Arabia on November 28. A source at Russia's Foreign Ministry told reporters it had sent a diplomatic note to Saudi Arabia's embassy in Moscow after hearing on Wednesday of a planned attempt to take the 49 birds abroad.

A spokesman for Russia's customs service said the princes had not been fined and were attempting to obtain the correct paperwork to take their charges home.

The WWF said nine of the falcons had proved to be of Russian origin, suggesting they were smuggled at some point.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9727428/Saudi-princes-caught-illegally-transporting-rare-falcons.html

Customs Service Thwarts Attempt to Smuggle 29 Rare Falcons

NOVOSIBIRSK/ABAKAN, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - An attempt to smuggle 29 rare falcons worth about $127,000 out of Russia has been thwarted, the Siberian customs department said on Friday.

In July, two men, one from the UAE and the other from Bangladesh, brought 29 falcons into Russia under the pretext of keeping them in more comfortable conditions during the UAE's hot summer. They said they planned to return the birds in autumn.

In August the local sanitary, veterinary and biodiversity authorities examined the birds, which were being kept in an enclosure near the Siberian city of Chernogorsk, and compiled a detailed report on their condition.

However, another examination carried out two months later produced some alarming results: the birds' identification rings gave different ages and genders. "Some birds even "changed" their species - gyrfalcons turned into Peregrine and Saker falcons," the Siberian customs department said.

It became clear that their owners had planned to replace the birds which were too old and unfit for falconry with younger ones, caught by Russian poachers.

The birds were seized and temporarily taken to a rare birds sanctuary in the Republic of Altai. Their value is estimated at 4 million rubles ($127,000).

Their owners were charged with attempted smuggling and face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121109/177327088.html

Being smuggled out: Rare falcons’ trip to Kuwait cut short, freed in Pindi

ISLAMABAD: 

An attempt to smuggle two rare falcons out of country was foiled and a Kuwaiti arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) on Thursday.

This is the second attempt to smuggle rare species of birds that was thwarted by the Punjab Wildlife Department and the Airport Security Force (ASF) in seven months.

Officials said the birds were taken into custody at around 5am, after the suspect, Muhammad Ammar, was stopped during security check.

The suspect, who was wearing a loose trouser, was boarding a Kuwait-bound plane when the authorities stopped him for inspection. They found the birds tied to his legs. The birds were smaller than the ones previously seized by the department, said an official.

The suspect was detained for a few hours for an inquiry, during which he claimed the birds had been gifted to him. However, he confessed to his crime when he was produced before a magistrate later. The court fined him Rs300,000, while the birds were set free at Ayub National Park on court orders.

Continued:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/447149/being-smuggled-out-rare-falcons-trip-to-kuwait-cut-short-freed-in-pindi/

24 Rare Birds Found In Plane In Kazakhstan

Photo: Wikipedia

Kazakhstan's National Security Committee says that 24 rare falcons have been discovered in Almaty onboard a plane bound for Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates.

The birds had been placed in three bags inside the plane's luggage compartment in an apparent attempt to smuggle them out of the country.

Investigators are working on tracking down the bags' owner.

The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a rare species protected by international and Kazakh law.

Saker falcons are used for hunting by the elite in Persian Gulf states. The average price for such a bird on the Central Asian black market ranges between $10,000 and $15,000.

Illegal trafficking of saker falcons from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to Persian Gulf countries was frequent in the 1990s.
http://www.rferl.org/content/rare-birds-found-in-plane-in-kazakhstan/24713481.html

More on the saker falcon (Falco cherrug):
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3619