BirdLife International’s Belgian partner Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen has expressed concern over the increasing number of demonstrations involving birds of prey. People calling themselves falconers offer their services to schools, groups and public events, which in turn are picked up by the media. But often the so-called falconers are what Vogelbescherming calls ‘pseudo-falconers’, people who are using the art of falconry as a means of income and not to promote the welfare of the animals. Sometimes the pseudo-falconers have large number of day and night birds of prey captured by unsavory means.
An increase in the number of ransackings and plunderings of raptor nests is a cause for alarm according to Vogelbescherming.
Pseudo-falconers keep their birds in small cages or use means to restrict the birds’ movement which is a serious form of maltreatment, according to Vogelbescherming. The birds are further abused by means of starvation used to allow them to be manipulated with food rewards.
