NATURE LOVER
Practised for thousands of years, the modern sport of Falconry provides a proud link to a heritage that embodies honour, nobility, and courage - values that perfectly describe Ruan Botha’s Falconry journey in the Middle East. BARNES was delighted to catch up with Ruan at the JA Resort, where we had the honour of seeing majestic Falcons in flight.
Bedouins in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider Arabian Peninsula have practised Falconry for over 4,000 years, hunting for scarce food resources in a harsh and unforgiving environment. With authentic Emirati values of honour, nobility, and courage encapsulated within what is now regarded as a sport, Falconry was recognised by UNESCO in 2021 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 24 countries across three continents, recognising its long history and cultural significance. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who practised Falconry from a young age, was a tremendous proponent of the sport and supported its conservation. He launched several initiatives to promote the sport, including a falcon release programme and the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, now the largest falcon hospital in the world. The late Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club
said, “Falconry allows our children to enjoy the spell of the desert, imbuing them with the virtues of patience and fortitude, willpower and companionship. Values that are just as important today as they have been for generations”. Many young, talented falconers are coming to the UAE, including Ruan Botha, founder of Wild Flight. Irrespective of background, falconers share and embody universal values of camaraderie, traditional breeding, training and caring practices and techniques, and the unique bond between a falconer and his bird. Ruan first became fascinated with Falconry as a six- year-old growing up in rural South Africa. He now has over 26 years of experience in the sport. From a young age, Ruan knew that he wanted to be involved in nature in both a personal and professional capacity. He realised his true passion was the wild world even when he was on
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