Episode Details

Falcons have become some of the world’s most expensive birds—and their soaring price is pushing them toward extinction. In this episode, we explore how traditional falconry in the Gulf, now amplified by racing, beauty contests, and status competition, has created a booming global market where rare birds can cost more than gold by weight. That demand fuels illegal poaching from places like Libya and Pakistan, threatening endangered species such as the saker falcon and even wiping out their prey, the houbara bustard. Despite conservation programs and bans on wild-caught birds, the trade persists underground. Can falconry survive without destroying the very birds it reveres?

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/24/the-market-for-falcons-is-soaring-as-wild-populations-decline