Falcons in the operating room
In most cases, a hospital visit during your holiday is not on the schedule. Make an exception for the falcon hospital. Just outside Abu Dhabi is the largest falcon hospital in the world. And that's not for nothing. The camels have name and fame as a loyal ally of the Bedouins. But falcons also play an important role in desert life. Centuries ago, the Bedouins kept falcons, and used falconry to find meat in the dry desert.
The hospital treats 'patients' from all parts of the world, about 6,000 birds a year. Missing feathers are expertly placed back. Broken legs buckled. For their recovery, they are not sentenced to a few weeks bed, but are allowed to flit around freely. Visitors are welcome for a walk among these loose flying falcons. After a visit to the museum you will know all about the Arabian falconry tradition. During the tour, the operating room is also visited and it may just be that a falcon goes under the knife.