Kazakhstan releases endangered saker falcons in restoration drive

ALMATY: With a loud thwack of their wings, ​the falcons took flight, quickly ​soaring high above the rocky desert landscape of Altyn-Emel National Park in southeastern Kazakhstan.
The 34 birds were on an important mission: to help restore Kazakhstan's population of saker falcons, which for centuries have symbolised nobility ⁠and freedom for the nomadic peoples of the Kazakh ⁠steppe, as well as serving as faithful hunting companions.
Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Falcons Club is leading a saker falcon restoration programme in partnership ‌with a Kazakh institute in an effort ​to boost the ⁠population of this endangered 'Red List' species. The ​group will release 35 to ‌45 birds annually over the next three years.
A migratory bird with a wingspan ​of 97-126 cm (38-50 inches), the saker falcon ranges across a vast area from central Europe to northeastern China. In Kazakhstan, its population has declined by as much as 90% in recent years, largely ‌due to habitat loss, researchers say.
Kazakhstan's natural environment makes it ​one of the most important nesting areas for falcons and ​therefore ‌an ⁠ideal location for releasing groups of birds — known as casts — back into the wild, according to Ahmed Fahd al Hababi, executive ​vice president of the Saudi Falcons Club.
'We are ⁠returning the ​falcons to their natural habitat so they can breed and thrive in the wild', he said.
All the released birds will be fitted with GPS trackers and microchips, allowing scientists ​to collect data on their migration patterns and ​other behaviours. — Reuters