Falcon enthusiasm rises in Myanmar

The number of falcon enthusiasts has been growing in Myanmar, and falcon breeding has begun widespread over the last ten years.
Neighbouring Thailand has a modern technique in falcon breeding, and Myanmar still needs a similar one.
“Falcon enthusiasts have been widespread in Myanmar in recent years. The number of breeders has become enormous in the last ten years. Generally, those who sell birds at pagodas kill falcons to eat when they are caught in a trap. They don’t like that falcon is caught in the trap because it eats meat and needs to be kept in a cage alone, but hundreds of sparrows can be kept in a single cage. In the past, when a falcon was caught in a bird seller’s trap, we could buy it at a cheap price. Now, it is costly to buy from poachers. The falcon trading market already existed among enthusiasts. The number of falcon breeders has gradually developed from this habit,” said a falcon enthusiast from Kyaukse Township.
In Myanmar, falcons are also being bred for hunting, and some species are very expensive, said falcon enthusiasts.
“Falcons are used as hunters in Thailand. Here, tamed ones are being used for hunting other birds or rats in crop fields, but this habit has yet to develop. Falcons become tamed now, and they can be taught to come back to their owners,” said Ko Eden Oo, a falcon enthusiast from Shwepyitha Township.
There is a hunting competition for endangered bird species in Myanmar, and breeders of birds listed as endangered species, including falcons, around the country participate in it. – Thit Taw/ZS/ED