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Originally Posted by Chrisg Falconers largely do fly their birds at the local wildlife as a form of pest control.
Pigeons and gulls for instance stay well clear of an airport if they've seen a falcon in the area, falconers are frequently paid to provide this service. Crop farmers too welcome both falcons and hawks as a way of helping control pigeon and rabbit collonies.
One other point, the pleasure for most falconers is not in the kill but in seeing the bird fly.
ChrisG |
Personally I have no problem with falconry for bird scaring even if the odd bird is caught because it's one of the most effective methods - When I was working at RAF Lakenheath there was a man in a little blue van with a harris hawk that scared the birds away from the runway and he did a brilliant job. I can see that perhaps in certain habitats pest control might actually be more humane and efficent with a bird that lamping by a skilled professional gamekeeper.
My own personal yardstick for this sort of thing is to consider if there is a more humane and still efficient way of killing something, if there is then that is how it should be done. If there isn't then it seems ok to me.