ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 17 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia has donated 41 falcons to Kazakhstan to help boost the population in the wild, local media reported Monday.
The Falcon Center, at the direction of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, initiated the project, calling on falcon keepers and falconers to donate birds to Kazakhstan, the Russian RIA Novosti news agency said, quoting the daily al-Riyadh.
Several dozen people ceded a total 56 falcons, 41 of which successfully came through veterinary examinations and were found up to project standards. An electronic chip was attached to each bird to help monitor its migrations.
Falcons are swift, long-winged birds that prey on other birds, small mammals and other creatures for food. They have been kept and trained for hunting for thousands of years in the Middle East.
