IAF eBulletin for August/September 2021

Important note to delegates, to club representatives and to translators: please don't forget to forward this eBulletin to your club members and all the falconer you know, especially the many language versions, even if it is by a "share" on social media - you will magnify the falconer's voice!

In the above is a group photo of all those attending the IAF Meeting and the Conference; H.E Majed Al Mansouri, IAF President addressing the Council of Delegates; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed speaking to José Manuel Rodriguez Villa, chairman of the European Foundation for Falconry and Conservation; and H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed receiving a Giancarlo Pirotta glove as a gift from the IAF.

Falcon College Fundraiser

When the stories of raptor conservation and falconry in Zimbabwe are told, there are few things as iconic as The Peregrine Fund/Falcon College Land Cruiser. Largely through the efforts of Tom Cade, who had spent quite a bit of time in Zimbabwe, The Peregrine Fund very kindly donated the Land Cruiser to the Zimbabwe Falconers' Club Raptor Conservation Fund  in the late 1980s. The vehicle was provided to facilitate the wealth of information that was being collected on the various research trips to Peregrine and Taita breeding sites. The driving force behind this wonderful and important initiative was Ron Hartley.

With the passage of time and radical shift in land use policies in Zimbabwe, the research projects became less and less feasible, and ultimately the vehicle was hired by Falcon College on a permanent basis for the student Falconry Club. This is one of the very few schools in the world where young people learn and practice real, practical falconry, and the Land Cruiser is essential for the continuation of this. The Peregrine Fund Land Cruiser is still a workhorse, aiding in numerous raptor conservation efforts while also introducing falconry to generations of students attending Falcon College. Essentially, students are transported around the environs of the school for the various falconry related activities using this vehicle. It has been a wonderful and crucial part of the college Falconry Club for decades.

Recently, it was discovered that the engine needs to be refurbished; after nearly 40 years of service, The Peregrine Fund/Falcon College Land Cruiser is in serious need of updating and could use a makeover. With the ongoing lockdown situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college Falconry Club is somewhat hamstrung and cash flow is severely limited.

A GoFundMe was set up to raise $12000 for this and falconers from all over the world contributed, including a donation of $3500 from the IAF, at the request of IAF President H.E Majed Al Mansouri, and now sufficient funds have been raised to undertake this project on the iconic Landcruiser,  a very worthwhile project to help keep things going at Zimbabwe's Falcon College student Falconry Club. https://www.facebook.com/fourwheelautozimbabwe

A list of donors may be seen on the GoFundMe site.

Results of the 2021 IAF Elections

H.E President Majed Al Mansouri (UAE) was unanimously voted in for a second and final term as IAF President. Mark Upton (UK) was elected as the new Vice-president for Europe, Africa South of the Sahara and Oceania and Otgonsaikhan Dorjsuren (Mongolia) was elected as the new Vice-president for Asia. All take office on the 1st January 2022.

Both retiring vice-presidents received the President's Award for Services to Falconry and a special award from the people who have worked with them for the past twenty years. Presented in the photo by Hilary White (Ireland).

New book by Bruce Haak

Long-time friend of IAF, Bruce Haak, has asked us to to announce the publication of his new book:

"Falco Sapiens Press is pleased to announce the release of a natural history book entitled Magical Merlins. The work of five authors, six painters, and 12 photographers, it contains 35 illustrations (paintings, maps, plates) and 66 color photos. 

Standard editions are $50 each. and shipping and handling in the US are $6, for total of $56 for one copy. The numbered, leather-bound Collectors editions are $200. Overseas customers should contact us for an estimate of the shipping costs. You can send a check to our P.O. Box or use the PayPal account at: paypal.me/FalcoSapiensPressLLC

Be sure to confirm your mailing address so it doesn’t go missing. Also, please indicate if you want an inscription or a signature.

Thanks, 

Bruce Haak, Falco Sapiens Press, LLC, P.O. Box 2480, Eagle, ID 83616"

This eBulletin is available in other languages thanks to volunteer translators. If you would like to take part, email muehle@iaf.org . If your language does not appear, we upload  late translations onto the Facebook page

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