Revealed: Irelands trade in endangered falcons with the Middle East [Video]

HUNDREDS OF PROTECTED birds of prey are being exported from Ireland every year to boost the Middle East’s lucrative falcon trade.

The Journal Investigates can reveal how vulnerable raptors are being sold and transported to wealthy Gulf countries for use in competitive hunting and racing contests.

Figures obtained by The Journal Investigates show that between 2013 and 2023, 1,896 falcons were exported out of Ireland to other countries.

Of those, 94% were shipped to Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for “personal” or “commercial” purposes.

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) database, over half were sold to buyers in the UAE alone.

While the trade mostly involves captive birds, experts say it puts Ireland’s wild falcon population at risk from poachers wanting to cash in on huge sums offered by wealthy Middle Eastern buyers.

The profitable bird business is also happening against a backdrop of raptor persecution across the island of …