Authorities can now assist owners in retrieving their lost falcons in designated areas.

Falcon owners can now get permission from authorities to enter Qatar’s industrial cities and retrieve their pets while being escorted by security personnel.

The bird owners now have access to Ras Laffan, Mesaieed, and Dukhan Industrial Cities as long as they are assisted by a security patrol, the General Directorate of Industrial Security at the Ministry of Interior announced.

Owners who are looking to retrieve their falcons in any of the three areas can reach out to the ministry through the following official hotline numbers.

It is unclear if incidents have recently been reported in those specific areas.

Falcons are deeply revered in Qatari society, with the sport of falconry being a well-respected tradition in the Gulf. In 2008, the nation launched a cultural association for hunters, Al Gannas, to promote traditional Arabian hunting.

Into the wild

Last month, falconers were asked to cooperate with the current campaign and donate some of their falcons to enable them to breed in the wild and support the preservation of this sport and hobby.

The announcement was made during the Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival, Marmi 2023, at the Sealine Area, with officials at the time saying data from tracking devices placed on previously released falcons to determine their migration paths proved to be effective.

“Qatari falconers donating their falcons is a noble and humanitarian act, as they always used to do after the hunting season, and this has continued from generation to generation,” said Mohamed bin Abdulatif Al-Misnad, vice-chairman of the society and deputy head of the supreme organising committee of Marmi 2023.