While anesthetized, a falcon's feathers are inspected.
Dr.Margit Gabriele Müller, is a German veterinarian and award-winning author with a doctorate in falcon medicine. She has been managing the world's biggest and most well-known falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi since 2001.
She is a dedicated veterinarian and self-proclaimed 'Falcon Whisperer,' caring for a wide range of animals with decades of experience, extensive knowledge, and keen intuition.
Dr. Muller provides an intensive falcon medicine internship for veterinary students and graduates.
A visitor arrives at the Falcon Hospital and waits in the reception counter.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is a prominent tourist destination in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Falcon is getting checked in the Hospital
Feather mending is a popular practice. Hospitals maintain extra feathers in a drawer that may be splinted on to injured feathers.
Falcon is waiting in the perch for the annual health checkup. However, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is also attempting to reintroduce some falcons back into the wild by rehabilitating them.
Even for basic treatments, the falcons are anaesthetised to prevent them from becoming agitated and to ensure that the procedure is completed effectively.
The hospital acts as a health care provider, much like a human hospital. When a falcon arrives at the facility, it is weighed and inspected for any signs of illness or injury.
Dr. Müller performs surgery on a bird in the operation theatre.
The award-winning tours provide an enlightening peek into the hospital's working environment and up-close encounters with magnificent birds.
ADFH has received several honors and accolades from Europe and the United States for its great tourist program, service quality, and corporate reputation. All ADFH employees are held to a high degree of professionalism, and their customer-focused, diverse experience seeks to increase customer satisfaction to new heights.
The world's foremost institution for falcon medicine, research, and training is the government-sponsored Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.
An anesthetised bird being groomed at the hospital.
The falcon's excrement is collected by the owner for testing at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
Moulting cage : The aviaries at the hospital are climate-controlled, allowing the recuperating birds to fly about freely. During the summer, falcons moult, shedding their old feathers and growing new ones.
A falcon undergoes surgery in the operating room
"Nail clipping and beak trimming should be performed twice a year. Unlike wild falcons, who perch on cliffs and capture food, the nails of falcons in captivity do not naturally fall off, says Muller.
An overgrown bird's claws may pierce the bird's foot sole and cause serious illnesses, while overgrown hinder them from extending their jaws wide enough to get food in.
In the United Arab Emirates, falcons are an integral part of daily life. For centuries, falconry has been practiced by Bedouin tribes as a means of securing food in the desert. The art of falconry was included into UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritages in 2012.
Falcon hooded and lined up for a routine checkup. When sitting with other falcons, the hooded falcon remains calm.
The art of falconry has a long history among Arabs in the United Arab Emirates and nearby nations like Saudi Arabia. Approximately 11,000 falcons are examined and treated each year. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital has established itself as one of the most reputable falcon hospitals in the Gulf area, as well as the world's biggest falcon hospital and premier center for falcon medicine.