Authorities enforce ban on entry of falcons from Gulf states

AMMAN — Gulf citizens entering Jordan are no longer allowed to bring in their falcons under a decision which seeks to protect the Kingdom’s wildlife, according to officials and a conservation group.

Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) Chairman Khaled Irani said on Wednesday that falcons are not allowed to enter the country in order to prevent hunting of endangered species.

The decision also comes in enforcement of laws and regulations which prohibit hunting with falcons, and the possession, display or sale of falcons in the Kingdom, Irani said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The RSCN, Jordan’s wildlife conservation and nature protection NGO, said that the decision was taken in agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and has been circulated by the Ministry of Interior to local agencies and embassies of Gulf states in the country to inform their citizens about the decision.

Munther Rifai, Ministry of Agriculture Assistant secretary general for animal affairs, said the decision to ban the entry of falcons into the country was taken last year but went into effect starting this year.

Rifai highlighted that the ministry has always requested owners of falcons wishing to enter the country to submit certificates that proved their birds were free from diseases, particularly bird flu.

But when owners of falcons started hunting endangered species such as houbara bustard and goldfinch, the RSCN requested that falcons be banned from entering the country to protect its wildlife.

“Now, Gulf citizens who bring falcons to the country will be denied entry,” Rifai told The Jordan Times.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, confirmed that the ban is aimed at protecting endangered species from extinction.

“The decision will protect our nature and wildlife,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

In May last year, the foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates called on its nationals not to hunt falcons while visiting Jordan. It also warned them against smuggling falcons into the Kingdom. The ministry said these actions were against Jordan’s laws.