KUWAIT: Kuwaitis are probably the world's finest falcon trainers. Falcons are so admired in the country that they appear on the state's coat of arms, and one optometrist's shop in Kuwait City has a stuffed falcon in its window, apparently as a symbol of good vision. In Kuwait, falcon owners and their retainers train the birds themselves before dispatching them against the hubaras, which migrate through Kuwait in the fall and winter.
Al-Milwah is an experienced falconer who trains falcons for hunting. By waving a piece of meat or a feather attached to a 10-20-meter string, he draws the bird's attention. Al-Milwah repeats the practice until the falcon is ready for real hunting. On bustard hunts, the falcons are kept blindfolded with leather hoods while their owners cruise the countryside in trucks. The sandy colored bustards are hard to find because when frightened, they crouch against the ground. But the falcons spot them with their sharp eyes and pounce on them.
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In olden times, falcons were chronicled by local poets, but nowadays, Kuwaitis make movies of falcons to show at home." In the simpler days of the past, Kuwaitis caught their falcons here in the country side, but nowadays falcons are also imported from Pakistan, Syria and Iran. The birds must be caught because they do not breed in captivity.