How legal is the fact that the Arab tourists hunt with falcons in Azerbaijan?

Baku/23.03.21/Turan: The Ministry of Ecology of Azerbaijan fined Arab tourists for their "ruthless" attitude towards pigeons. This fact was revealed during monitoring in the steppe of Ajynour in the Gakh region of Azerbaijan (379 km from Baku), the message on the website of the Ministry of Ecology.

“With the consent of the owner, the tourists set up tents for rest and trained their falcons, and a ruthless attitude towards pigeons was established, for which the tourists were fined,” said the head of the Environmental Security Service of the Ministry of Ecology, Hikmet Alizade. The ministry did not disclose the names of tourists and the size of the fine.

In turn, environmental activist Javid Gara published a video on social networks showing how Arab tourists teach falcons to hunt. They tie pigeons to a drone and launch them into the air. Falcons chase pigeons and kill them.

The activist notes that the hunting season is closed and the authorities must explain the actions of foreigners. This case raises numerous questions also because the country maintains a quarantine regime, and the use of drones is strictly regulated. The Ministry of Ecology does not answer all these questions.

According to unofficial data, Arab tourists are guests of high-ranking government officials. They periodically appear with their falcons and the favorite object of their hunt is the little bustard - a rare bird.

A couple of years ago, the Sheikh of Dubai Rashid Al Maktum himself came to Azerbaijan to hunt for little bustards, together with one of his sons and a large retinue. -03-