Falconry

[wychwoodviking]

I live in 85 /79 does anyone else have an interest in falconry.
I have birds of prey in Uk but are just building some pens here in France. I have common buzzards, and various Owls that I fly free. Would like to know legal side for birds of prey here in France. Where to buy new birds

Thanks in advance

Pete

[Jsensiba]

Bt George what a smashing hobby. I dearly love to see the birds flying. Will be interested to see if this thread provides some information. My cats would love to watch also!

Julia

[Will]

I think one of the great things about birds of prey was seeing them being flown, and taking part as members of the audience so to speak, in England - then coming to France and seeing so many buzzards, owls etc living naturally.

I'm not saying anything against falconry, or keeping birds, as I know that without it many species would be in far greater danger than they are now.

[Sooner or later!]

Keeping birds of prey is extremely difficult if the species are native to France. Owls seem to be a particular problem. I have around 20 different species and i brought some with me. You have to apply with a cv to the chief vet of the area you live in. In my case i had to submit 6 copies of my cv each containing 5500 words obviously all in French. I also had to attach official copies of certificates showing i had no previous convictions both from UK and France. I have been informed by the forestry police who came to see me that if you have ANY convictions you will not be allowed to keep raptors. Once the powers to be have digested my cv i then have to go for an interview in front of a board of members and in my case thats 10 members. They will then interview me and either allow my application or not. The other problem you will have is that aviaries and flights are by law a lot bigger than the UK. For a Bengal you will be looking at 20m long 3m wide and 3m high.I have a french friend who rehabilitates wild birds of prey and he is checking the sizes for me as he thinks it may be very slightly smaller but only by a metre or two.My friend also rehomes any birds that the police seize and he states it is a particular problem with the British bringing owls over...He also states that if you do not have permission any birds you do bring without permission will automatically be seized with no questions asked. They do have a serious problem with bird trafficking in France.There are a couple of species that are okay harrises redtails etc but you cannot hunt until you get a license. This is taking ages any more questions Email me and i will try and answer them....Paul

[Sooner or later!]

Sorry i forgot about buying birds....It is best to buy birds in the UK as the French falconers are few and far between (300)as opposed to the UK s 70 000. So they breed very few here in France and what they do tend to get taken by Zoos. If buying from UK make sure you get a health certificate from the vet or alternatively you can apply to DEFRA to get a certificate (under the Bali agreement) to export them. There are rules to this e.g the owner has to travel with them and they must have been in your possession and in solitary for the previous 30 daysand be clear of certain diseases i.e. avian flu and the like. Most reputable breeders can sort out a health certificate and should be licensed from DEFRA.
HOPE ALL THIS HELPS.
PAUL

[Sooner or later!]

Where is 79 and 85