Parahawking is an activity that combines
paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...
with
falconry
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
. Birds of prey are trained to fly with paragliders, guiding them to
thermals
A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example ...
.
Parahawking was developed by British falconer Scott Mason in 2001, with the expert advice of
Stephen Hawking, whose name was an inspiration for the activity. Mason began a round-the-world trip in
Pokhara
Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, where many
birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...
– such as the
griffon vulture
The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It may also be known as the Griffon vulture, though it may be used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confused with Rü ...
,
steppe eagle
The steppe eagle (''Aquila nipalensis'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted ...
and
black kite
The black kite (''Milvus migrans'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have ...
– can be found. While taking a tandem paragliding flight with British paraglider Adam Hill, he had the opportunity to see
raptors in flight, and realised that he could combine the sports of paragliding and falconry.
The team started by training two black kites, but have since added two
Egyptian vulture
The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...
s, Kevin and Bob, to the team. Only rescued birds are used – none of the birds have been taken from the wild.
Mason and Hill documented their endeavours, with help from colleague Graham Saunders-Griffiths, in a film entitled ''Parahawking''. In addition to being named Best Debut Film at the 2003 Festival International du Film de Vol libre in
St-Hilaire, France (held as part of the
Coupe Icare Coupe Icare, also known as the Icarus Cup, is an annual festival of free flight held between Saint-Hilaire (on the border of Chartreuse Mountains) and Lumbin (in the valley of Isère in France). The festival typically lasts four days and is held i ...
), and winning top prize in the 'Air' category at the 5t
Hory a Mestointernational festival of mountain films in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, ''Parahawking'' was a finalist in the category of 'Best Film on Mountain Sports' at the 2003
Banff Mountain Film Festival The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. It was launched in 1976 as ''The Banff Festival ...
, and competed for the title of 'Best Documentary' at the 2004
Cervino International Film Festival Cervino may refer to:
Places
* Monte Cervino, also known as Matterhorn, a 4,478 metres mountain, located between the Aosta Valley (Italy) and the Canton of Valais (Switzerland)
* Cervino, Campania, a ''comune'' (town) in the Province of Caserta, ...
.
Mason's work has been featured in many publications around the world, from falconry-related journals and newsletters, to paragliding publications, mainstream magazines and newspapers.
Closure
Already in 2010 the Nepalese government announced that the Himalayan Raptor Rescue Centre in Pokhara is to be closed following allegations that it was illegally holding endangered birds and that the parahawking amounted to cruelty. Despite these allegations parahawking stayed operational in Pokhara until 2017.
In February 2017 Mason announced that parahawking has been shut down:
On 15 February 2017 Mason announced on his Facebook page that the last ever parahawking flight in Nepal was performed with the vulture Bob and the passenger Paula Graham.
Aftermath
The government of Nepal confiscated all birds. One of which was a
booted eagle called Barry that had been given to the Parahawking Project for care by the British Embassy in Kathmandu after being mauled by a dog and had extensive feather damage. Barry was taken in by Kathmandu Central Zoo who insisted he was a black kite and eventually released him to a nearby forest despite not being able to fly at the time.
See also
*
Birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...
*
Falconry
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
*
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...
*
Pokhara
Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...
References
External links
Scott Mason's official Parahawking websiteParahawking on YouTubeOn the official Parahawking channel
* {{Facebook, parahawking, Official page
Share the SkyCampaign to save Asia's Vultures (archive)
Air sports
Falconry
Hybrid sports
Individual sports
Paragliding