"Recognize as a traditional craft": falconry is being revived in Tatarstan

      In 2026, 20 Red Data Book baloban falcons will be released into the wild in Tatarstan

      "Returning a lost link in the ecological chain"

      A unique Tatarstan ecological project to return a rare and endangered species — the baloban falcon — to the wild was presented in early September at the III International Forum "Falcon Day," held as part of the Eastern Economic Forum — 2025 in Vladivostok.

      "The [Ministry of Ecology of the Republic of Tatarstan] project to revive the Volga–Kama population of the baloban falcon is of paramount importance for Tatarstan. This is not just the restoration of a single species, but the return of a lost link in the region's ecological chain. The last time baloban nesting in our republic was recorded was in 1974 on the Saralinsky section of the Volga–Kama State Natural Biosphere Reserve. Today, thanks to unique cooperation among authorities, science, business and society, we are bringing this extinct species back," Olga Manidicheva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, told Tatar-inform.

      The program to revive the Volga–Kama population of the baloban falcon was launched in 2023. It demonstrates how modern ecology should develop — in partnership with stakeholders, using scientific methods and with concern for preserving natural wealth for future generations.

      "Three years ago Tatarstan became the first federal subject to enter the traditions of falconry into the regional register of intangible cultural heritage. At the end of 2022, based on this, changes were made to the federal register of intangible cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia," said Ildar Enalaev, president of the Union of Falconry Enthusiasts and Birds of Prey Conservation 'Russian Falcon' and Doctor of Biological Sciences.

      He presented the Tatarstan project at "Falcon Day" during a session dedicated to the revival of falconry in Russia. The forum discussed the restoration of populations of rare falcon species — the baloban, the gyrfalcon and the peregrine.

      "We have given a push to a process that will allow falconry in our state to be recognized as a traditional craft of the peoples of Russia and to be protected. That means the Russian state will popularize, develop the process of reviving falconry and provide every possible support," Enalaev noted.

      The scientist believes it is necessary to make falconry in demand by modern society, to make it interesting to the younger generation as an ancient activity and a way for people to relate to wild nature.

      Next year Tatarstan will release 20 baloban falcons into the wild

      The revival of falconry involves breeding and releasing rare birds into the wild to compensate for their natural losses. Thanks to the ecological project, 24 falcons have been released into the wild in Tatarstan over three years.

      "The scientific breakthrough this year was the fact that we managed to equip one of the falcons with a GPS tracker, which showed its geolocation for eight days. The falcon was released in the Kamsko-Ustinsky district. Interestingly, the bird flew from the right bank of the Volga, where an artificial nest had been installed, to the left bank, toward the Saralinsky section of the Volga–Kama Reserve. The falcon flew over the reservoir, made a large circle, visited islands where it probably hunted game," Ildar Enalaev said.

      According to him, the Tatarstan project is unique in Russia: it is developing steadily, and falcons have been released into the wild consistently for all three years. Thus, this year two balobans born at the Kazan Zoo were released.

      "This is very important. The likelihood that they will return to the territory of Tatarstan in six months is much higher. It has been experimentally proven that the geolocation of the place of birth and upbringing is fixed in the birds' central nervous system," Enalaev asserts.

      Next year, plans call for releasing 20 rare birds of prey into the wild on the territories of the Kamsko-Ustinsky and Laishevsky districts. Of these, 15 individuals are planned to be purchased from a nursery in the Moscow region. Among the released birds there should again be chicks from Tatarstan if the pairs housed in the zoo continue to breed. A new location for releasing balobans will be the left bank of the Volga — the buffer zone of the Saralinsky section of the Volga–Kama Reserve.

      "Easy to lose a species, ten times harder and more expensive to restore it"

      Ildar Enalaev said a Baloban Breeding Center could be created in the republic. But for this a suitable site and, of course, funding are needed. These issues are still under discussion.

      "We could create a park, special aviaries, select personnel. The location of this center and the question of financing are being discussed," Enalaev said.

      According to the scientist, balobans breed well in captivity, but special conditions must be created for this. The birds lay two clutches of 4–6 eggs each, which occurs in late March — early April.

      "The first clutch is taken from them, the eggs are incubated in an incubator, and then chicks appear. The birds then hatch the second clutch themselves, another 4 to 6 eggs. From one pair of balobans you can annually obtain up to 10 chicks," our interlocutor explained.

      Conserving biodiversity, especially rare species, is, he said, a very costly undertaking. "It is easy to lose a species, and restoring it is ten times more expensive and more difficult," Ildar Enalaev states.

      The Doctor of Biological Sciences believes that the project to create the Center is extremely promising for international cooperation — it will be of interest to Arab countries, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Uzbekistan. Falconry traditions existed and are still supported there. In addition, cultural exchange is important for representatives of foreign countries.

      "The higher the culture of falconry, the less poaching there will be. The peak of falcon poaching in our country came in the turbulent 1990s, and now it has virtually disappeared," Enalaev says.

      But there are many other problems affecting bird numbers. First, power line towers, which cause birds to die from electrocution. Second, degradation of nesting habitats. Third, expansion of human economic activity, construction of new roads.

      "All this destroys the natural biotope. Because of these circumstances the baloban has been lost across Russia by 50 percent or more. Environmental education is one of the nails in the coffin of falcon poaching," Ildar Enalaev emphasized.

      "Arabs are reverent toward the craft of falconry"

      Kazan, as is known, was chosen as the cultural capital of the Islamic world in 2026. Falconry is an ancient culture. Therefore, it would be nice, Enalaev reasons, if a falcon auction were held in our city that year.

      "Arabs are very reverent toward their culture and the craft of falconry, which they pass down from generation to generation. We discussed this topic at length with colleagues from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at 'Falcon Day'," the interlocutor said.

      He recalled that in the times of the Kazan Khanate falconry was cultivated on our territory. A klobuchok (a leather hood put on a hunting bird's head), dated to the 13th century, was found here. In addition, there are interesting historical descriptions.

      A mention of the further development of falconry on Kazan soil is found in the book by local historian, professor of Kazan Imperial University Nikolai Zagoskin. In his historical overview "A Companion to Kazan" he writes: "In 1624–1626, on the high bank of the Sviyaga, the Kazan pomytchiki founded the Vvedenskaya and Petropavlovskaya settlements, named after the churches located there, 'Entry into the Temple' and 'Peter and Paul.' Their duties included catching, keeping and training falcons, most likely gyrfalcons, for the tsar's falconry."

      The scholar also wrote that these settlements at the mouth of the Sviyaga were built by the tsar's pomytchiki — special people who caught large falcons along riverbanks, prepared them for falconry and sent them to the tsar's falcon court. "According to historical data, it was the Kazan pomytchiki who continued their activity longer than anyone else in Russia; the last supply to the tsar's falcon court dates from 1825," Enalaev said.

      The project to revive the Volga–Kama population of the baloban is being implemented in Tatarstan in support of the national project "Ecological Well-being" with the assistance of the company SIBUR.

      Photo: © Tatar-inform