Why falconry is cruel

Those who get the master or general licenses can choose from more birds of prey and may be allowed to have more than one bird at a time, as long as they meet all required regulations.

It takes time to move up in-licenses so the falconer can learn more about the sport rather than rushing in. A falconer needs to provide the proper housing to their bird. The housing facilities used in this are often called mews, and they will be similar in size to a large tool shed. However, make it the size that fits the bird. Falconers must be careful not to place the bird in a home that is too small as it would be cruel to their feathered friends.

There are a few things that the mews needs to have:. These mews are regulated through various falconry laws and may have additional local requirements to help keep the birds safe. Birds are not allowed to be placed in small cages as per these regulations. Many often have their own little homes with plenty of room to spread out and roam within. Falconry is often considered a safe activity, but there are times when it can be cruel to the bird.

If the falconer does not take care of the bird or does not follow the proper rules , they may cause harm to the bird. Some instances where falconry can become cruel includes:. The objective of these extensive qualification steps — from the licensing to apprenticeship and more — is to ensure the falconer is prepared for the responsibility that comes with caring for a bird of prey.

These steps also help reduce the chances of any cruelty towards the birds and make the sport safe. It is normal to worry about whether falconry is cruel to the birds or not.

Many that worry about this, have seen someone treat a bird unkindly or even use inhumane practices. But it is important to remember that falconry is not cruel when it is done well. When the bird is taken care of, appropriately trained, and given the right home, it is perfectly safe and suitable for the bird. Many of these birds are later released back into the wild after a few years and tend to thrive! Are there bad people in the falconry community, yes, but there are bad in any community.

Perhaps we should ban having dogs and cats? Perhaps maybe you should do some research before forming an opinion of something you know nothing about. I do not agree with anything you have said. First of all, those hoods are fitted to each bird so that they are comfortable and keep the birds calm. They are not chained up. They do fly free! They hunt with the help of humans to make it easier for them. They look like it because they are relaxed.

And I think I know more about this than you do, I am a falconer and a can tell you that falconry is completely humane and actually helps improve survival rates in raptors. Many things are cruel and arent banned so that doesnt mean much. Foie gras for instance can be found in resturants all over the country yet the way its obtained is very cruel.

Although i do agree this particular bird show breached many rules of falconry, its still not something i agree with and the league against cruel sports even condemns this practice and deem it to be cruel. Just give us a gift for Christmas. Your silence. You know nothing. They also might be vulnerable to predators if they leave their perch, which they will.

Raptors remain wild creatures through falconry. They hunt and fly free. The only difference is that they are guaranteed food, shelter, and water. I dont believe in using animals for sport full stop. Even if I hadnt have researched into falconry I still witnessed first hand the effect falconry had on these birds and the conditions they are kept in. My blog features heavily on stopping animal cruelty, so any cruel animal sport will not be seen as exceptable by me and i will write about any animal injustances I feel need to be addressed.

You obviously feel very strongly about this subject but so do I and my opinion will not be changed. So horse riding should be banned because they are not in the wild and some people mistreat the horses?

If someone mistreats their horse then they shouldnt be allowed to own them. I do think horse racing should be banned as many horses are hurt during the race, especially over the jumps and many of the horses are disgarded when they become unraceable or if the breeding standards arent up to scratch and that horse doesnt meet the requirements.

Again another prime example of animal sports being cruel and not considering the welfare of the animal. Using dogs to hunt and track, is something dogs originally did before years of humans breeding it out of them. Using birds of prey to hunt, is using their natural abilility hunt.

Raptors have one goal in life, to eat. And to eat, means to hunt. So, ur upset that, falconers get to watch this beautiful animals in their natural ability, hunting…..

Poor little birds!!! I hope an animal support group shuts the practice down and heals then frees the birds. What a lovely comment :! So I just happened to stumble across this and feel like I have a moral duty to point some things out to you, in a totally non-confrontational way. More so in the way of educating you a bit about falconry. Please read this, and engage me in some meaningful conversation because I truly wish to broaden your perspective here.

Unfortunately you may have stumbled across a poorly run falconry display, which is too common. These are done to educate the public about raptors, especially children, so they develop an appreciation for this part of the global ecosystem predators.

Birds that are kept by falconers are regularly exercised and given the chance often hours upon hours, which is plenty of time for them to fly every single day. They actually sit for the majority of their waking hours in trees or wherever, resting and waiting to spot prey.

Which, in a way, I agree is sad. However, when birds are trapped from the wild in the fall, they are taught to hunt by a falconer and are later released in the spring. There are various reasons for this that you can look up yourself. No falconer wants to hurt their bird. A hood is only used in falconry when a bird needs to be kept calm, because they can become very stressed in strange environments. In this way, hoods do these birds that are kept by poor handlers a service. Do you not think these birds would be rained on in the wild..?

Their physiology does not allow them to move their eye sockets, which is also why they can swivel their heads around. The rocking side to side on the feet allows them to move their bodies and heads more in slightly different positions, again, to help them focus on objects better. Is driving evil because some people drink and drive, and hurt others? However, in the majority of North America, falconers take avid part in biodiversity sustainability and raptor conservation.

So, it is legal. Falconers do not hunt for sport like big game hunters do something I absolutely hate. Falconry is a totally different type of hunting altogether, because the game caught is not done in excess or greed, and it goes to the bird.

However, I also recognize that predator-prey relationships are absolutely fundamental to the very fabric of life, of ecosystems. Falconry is simply what would happen in the wild any way, except that a human is giving a bird of prey chances to excel and get ahead with its hunting skills that it would not have in the wild. One more thing I want to say, sort of a food for thought, is that falconry birds who are kept with love and appreciation choose to stay with their human counterparts.

I know a girl who trained a wild red tailed hawk, kept it for 2 years, and after releasing it, it came back to her after being on its own for about 3 months. She had seen it hunting, living, doing its thing, but it knew it had an upper hand over other wild birds by being able to hunt with a human being. Like Liked by 2 people. Thank you for commenting and providing so much information. It was also very interesting to read that birds of pray do like to stay put to not waste energy. I did not know this but I did go on information regarding falconry practice that birds should not be kept in bad weather conditions so this is how I came to that conclusion.

That makes perfect sense to me as this show I witnessed proved that some bird keepers go about this the wrong way and I feel this particular group did not keep their birds as well as they should and unfortunately I can imagine other birds will suffer much worse abuse at the hands of some sick individuals but can understand this is not the case with all participating in falconry.

Thank you again, you really have educated me on this subject and glad you approach the defence of falconry with animal welfare heavily in mind. Thank you so much! I wish I could show you, and any other individuals who have had a bad experience with falconry because of poor animal husbandry, what proper falconry looks like when the birds are the 1 priority.

No wonder you had the experience you did! To my knowledge, there are few, if any, regulations governing falconry in Great Britain. Falconry is the art of training a bird of prey to allow us to be a part of what they do, naturally, which is hunt. My hawk is a very big part of my life — she lets me tag along while she hunts rabbits. I hope this helps. Take the peregrine, California condor.

Also because of their help old wind farms that killed thousands of birds are removed. After a falconer works with them on hunting they get released back into the wild to find a mate and live at most 5 more years. Conversely, Hawks live 35 years if kept with a human. It should also be said Falconers typically weigh their birds once a day to make sure they are healthy.

Many of these birds come from rehabilitation. Educational birds are birds that were Wild and found injured. Instead of killing them they use them to show why we need to protect their habitat and food sources from builders and poisons. Why do you ask for opinions if you are not open to genuine discussion?

As for rain, what do you think happens to a hawk when it is in the wild?!? You yourself note it was light rain. Your post is illogical and uneducated. Get your facts before you start throwing stones. Falconry has been around for over four thousand years.

I am a falconer with a red tailed hawk. I do agree that keeping the raptors for our personal entertainment is cruel and inhumane. However, this is not falconry. These people obviously do not hunt with their birds. Considering that all raptors used in falconry save for by indigenous people are owned by the government of the State, raptors are one of the best cared-for bird species in captivity. All mews, stands, and other supplies are made to State standards and any abuse and neglect that can possibly occur puts the falconer at high risk of fining and jailing.

Lastly, falconers often release their birds after a few years of keeping them safe and teaching them how to hunt, so the bird is much more likely to survive, live on, and reproduce. Falconers are a major reason that raptor populations stay stable.