ABU DHABI, Sep 22, 2002 (WAM) --The Federal Environmental Agency (FEA), with the cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, began issuing 'falcon passports' for registered falcons, yesterday. This was announced by General Majid Al Mansouri, the Secretary General of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA), according to reports in the UAE's dailies. The new passports will enable falcons to travel abroad along with their owners. The passports are being issued under a new regulatory system to register all the falcons in the country by the end of this month. General Majid said that a bird must be registered before a passport can be issued. This will help to regulate falconry and falcon keeping, in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The passports are being issued by the FEA, the CITES Management Authority of the UAE, to enable the owner of a live falcon, or a person authorised in writing by the owner, to make frequent cross-border trips with the falcon without a CITES permit being required. Mansouri, who is also Executive Chairman of Emirates Falconers' Club, while briefing the media about the club's participation in the upcoming Arab Hunting Show 2002 in Dubai, added: "So far, 3,800 falcons have been registered for passports, and the process will continue till the deadline. "The end of the month is the deadline for registering the falcons which are in the country. Those who fail to meet the deadline will not be able to get travel documents for their falcons." Registration forms are available with falcon hospitals in the country, including Abu Dhabi and Al Khazna Falcon Hospitals and two falcon hospitals in Dubai. The ERWDA official said the "Falcon Passport" was designed and prepared by the Agency which received the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) approval before their release yesterday. The FEA and the ministry are responsible for registring of falcons and issuing the passport, while ERWDA is providing technical and scientific support, such as designing and preparing the passport and other registration documents and forms. The process requires the owners to give information about the CITES certificate number, the origin of the bird and date of acquisition, the bird's ring number and other details. MORE WAM-VV
