John Mather meets the falcons who keep the Burj Al Arab clean.
Talking with the falconry expert David Stead, I try to address the purpose of his work delicately. But he is quick to tear away any pretences. His job is to use falcons to stop pigeons from splattering droppings on guests and property at Dubai's most expensive hotels. Most notably, his company, Al Hurr Falconry, keeps the flawless exterior of the Burj Al Arab, Dubai's icon of opulence, faeces-free.
"That's exactly what this is for," he says without hesitation. "The mess pigeons make is just phenomenal. That's why we exist."
We are standing in the arrival car park at Al Qasr hotel in Madinat Jumeirah, surrounded by the luxury that has earned the chain its reputation: lush palm trees, man-made rivers and well-heeled guests. The Burj towers in the background. "It's pigeon heaven," says Stead, looking around at the replica Iranian wind towers and horse statues. "So many nooks and crannies."
Al Hurr Falconry protects eight facilities in Dubai. When I asked to see the falcons in action, Stead suggested that Al Qasr would give me the best view.
"Pigeons are more terrified of falcons than anything else in the world," Stead explains after introducing his colleague, Jannes Kruger, and Mary Jane, a four-year-old peregrine Falcon perched on Kruger's arm.
Mary Jane is the pigeon's natural predator; the falcon is the only bird of prey that can keep up with the winged menaces. A pigeon would win in a head-to-head race, but in the real world falcons close the gap with their hunting style. Once a falcon climbs high, tucks in its wings and begins a free dive, it can reach speeds of 140 kilometres per hour. As Stead puts it, "The falcon folds its wings up and drops like a stone."
On the day of my visit, there are about six pigeons sunbathing on Al Qasr's towers. Most fly here to enjoy the sun and man-made rivers. At 7:30 in the morning, it is already hot; Kruger and Stead want to get Mary Jane in the air before the humidity gets too harsh.
After Kruger removes her hood, the falcon lifts into the air. As she gains altitude, the lounging pigeons panic. They are genetically wired to flee when a falcon enters their airspace. Within seconds of a falcon's ascent, Stead explains, "any pigeon that's worth its salt is in Sharjah."
He's right; about half of the pigeons abandon the area immediately. The rest follow Mary Jane, testing her. Stead uses a lure to encourage the falcon to climb higher. As she nears swooping altitude, the remaining pigeons make a bee line for home, wherever that is.
"This is perfect," says Stead. "She is looking dangerous and impressive." Intimidation is what Mary Jane is all about. The falcon is trained to act as a gangster, using the threat of violence to scare unwanted birds away.
A small Indian myna remains perched on a wind tower, safe in her knowledge that falcons don't hunt mynas. This is for the best: Al Qasr's manufactured tropical environment would not be the same without their cheerful chirps. But pigeons have to go. Their droppings are acidic, and thus damaging to buildings (and potentially to guests' health).
Killing the pigeons, though, would be "almost detrimental to the whole process," Stead says. Dead pigeon bits are just as unpleasant as live pigeon droppings. "We're not trying to recreate nature."
Kruger, a wildlife conservationist, nods in agreement. "She killed many a bird in the first year," he says, running his hands down Mary Jane's back. But the falcon has since calmed. Today, she is a lazy Mafioso who would rather be rewarded with dead, de-feathered quail meat than hunt for live pigeon. Kruger shows me the bait: it looks like a miniature raw chicken breast with a still-feathered wing sticking out. According to Stead, it is "much more attractive than anything else in the world" to Mary Jane.
The falcon is in the air for little more than a minute before all the pigeons disappear. Kruger whips the bait out on a rope, and hotel guests watch with slight shock as Mary Jane swoops under the valet awning to lunge at it. "She's just making sure it's dead," Stead says. On a second pass she lands and nabs her prize.
Kruger picks her up. While the falcon rips at the quail breast with her beak, he jokes with Stead about how fat she is. "She's a beast, frankly," Kruger says, wiping away some raw quail meat splattering on his shirt. "I love her, but she uses me for food."
Stead and Kruger fawn over Mary Jane's success as if the bird was their child. The summer is peak mating season for pigeons. Two weeks ago, there were a dozen encroaching on Mary Jane's territory; today she has cut that down to a handful.
Stead partially attributes the success to Jumeirah's "proactive approach" to pigeon control. He started chasing pigeons in Dubai ten years ago at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which was built over an old hotel known for its booming pigeon population. Jumeirah recruited Stead before the first guests arrived. "It's much more straightforward to create a pigeon-free environment" rather than reducing an already expansive population, he says, adding that most clients approach him because conventional methods have failed. "It's not a cheap process," he says. "I'm not going to lie to you."
"The reason you're writing this for your newspaper," Stead notes, "is it is absurd." And the absurdity will continue. Though the current generation of pigeons may have taken the hint that they're not welcome on Jumeirah's multimillion dollar properties, their offspring will return to the land of palm trees and rivers. "We can't avoid having pigeons breed like wildfire," Stead says.
And though falcons don't procreate so swiftly, I have to ask Stead whether they too leave undesirable droppings. "It's one a day, compared to the thousands you get from one pigeon," he answers, then pauses. "We do spend our days shovelling s***, but that is at our facility."
@email:jmather@thenational.ae
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Company%20Profile
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
More coverage from the Future Forum
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The%20specs
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Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
RESULTS
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets