Ornithologists tattooed Saker Falcon chicks with the word SOS on their paws and beak. In the spring, these birds were born in the Moscow nursery "Vitasfera". Later, the babies were brought to Southern Siberia and planted in the nests of wild Saker Falcons, which had native chicks. Since 2017, conservationists have been reviving the population of the Altai saker falcon.
The decision to tattoo the chicks was an experiment to prevent the Saker Falcon hunters from selling the bird.
The fact is that the black Altai Saker Falcons are very beautiful and are popular with poachers who sell them to Arab countries. Since 2017, ornithologists have lost all the birds that were planted in the nests of wild relatives.
This fall, the ornithological team received two messages from saker falconers. The Arabs caught birds with a ring on their paw and tattoos in Mongolia, they were very surprised and wrote to scientists through the contact form on the website of the Russian Raptor Research and Conservation Network, which is indicated on the ornithological ring of Saker Falcons participating in the project.
Scientists expect the birds to return to their native lands in the spring.
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