An image posted on Reddit of 80 birds being transported by a Saudi prince on a plane, is going viral.
Transporting falcons in the Middle East is apparently quite a common practice. Falconry — training birds to hunt — has been practiced in the Middle East for thousands of years and is still a popular pastime in the UAE.
Falcons can even reportedly get their own passports from the UAE to travel, according to an article in Atlas Obscura. The article says that the passport allows a falcon to travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Morocco, and Syria
The passport is valid for three years, according to the UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
While it was unclear what airline's plane the photo was taken on, quite a few Gulf-based airlines do have policies allowing falcons to be transported on their flights.
A Flydubai representative said that falcons must have their own seat and are placed on a cloth to avoid accidents, according to a report in The National.
Qatar Airways allows a maximum of six falcons in economy class. Etihad Airways also permits falcons on its planes.
"We accept the carriage of falcons in the main aircraft cabin provided that all the necessary documents have been obtained. We also accept falcons as checked baggage," says the UAE-based airline's website.
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