Another outing and it includes a bus ride, wonderful ladies and the fabulous birds of prey: falcons!
The AWN (American Women’s Network) field trip of the day was out thirty minutes away to the world renown Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, under the award-winning direction of Dr. Margrit Muller of Germany.
Our tour included table side views of talon clipping, beak trimming, implantation of homing devices and feather replacement. The doctors, nurses, technicians are professional, loving and thorough. After all, their patients are worth several thousand to a million dirham each!
Similar to our newborn children, falcons change dramatically as they age. When falcons molt their feathers, they change in color and appearance. There is an air-conditioned room where falcons go to molt and exercise. They may go in black and white, and leave darker or lighter in color.
There is a set of drawers filled with dropped feathers used to “repair” a broken feather. There are surgery rooms for an assortment of ailments. This place is high-tech and high occupancy. There were twenty falcons in the waiting area, several in the queue for procedures, one in the surgery suite and several walking around with their owners.
On the “wall of honor” are certificates from presidents, sheikhs and prime ministers commending Dr. Muller and her staff for this center of excellence. She has also won the coveted Abu Dhabi Award ~ a personal achievement of excellence for her work at the hospital.
Falcons are beautiful, majestic and prized. I even held one! There are also owls and other birds of prey there as well as a section for other exotic animals.
What a great and educational place!
Aloha,
Denise
P.S. Photo credits to my friends Rita Beaumier, Linda Boes, and Paula Boldt
