FALCONRY IN PARAGUAY
TATIANA RIVAROLA
Paraguay is a small country in the middle of South America, we have most of the year hot weather and a lot of humidity, we have open fields sorrounded by forest, a lot of running water that makes the shape of our country by the most important rivers: Paraguay, Paraná, Pilcomayo and Apá.
This enviroment creates a home for amazing life, more than 48 species of raptors and a big food chain for them to hunt variaty of preys. Paraguay might be a small sealess country, but we have a big and great place for falconry.
Falconry in Paraguay was born 16 years ago when a young boy read an article in a colectable enciclopedia of a newspaper, that article started with the phrase “Falconry is the art of flying falcons to hunt with them” in that instant he knew he had to do that and for the rest of his life.
Many things happened and a lot of water run over the bridge but that’s how the first Paraguaian falconer was born, today is a Veterinarian and his name is Raul Palacios, that for many years and a lot of help from other falconers in the world he was the only falconer in Paraguay. After calling attention and transmitting his passion everywhere he went, other people started to feel atracted to this magnificent art, so along with me, his wife, started to make falconry courses for people that wanted to learn about falconry and practice it.
Many things happened and a lot of water run over the bridge but that’s how the first Paraguaian falconer was born, today is a Veterinarian and his name is Raul Palacios, that for many years and a lot of help from other falconers in the world he was the only falconer in Paraguay. After calling attention and transmitting his passion everywhere he went, other people started to feel atracted to this magnificent art, so along with me, his wife, started to make falconry courses for people that wanted to learn about falconry and practice it.
Paraguaian falconry is about a multiple kind of falconry, men and women falconers get along very well and we are about the same number, we go out hunting together and share fields and stories. In general you start with an american kestrel or a harris hawk for the first years and then you could decide what kind of bird you would like to fly. Although there are not breeding centers in Paraguay we import some raptors and some are the result of rescue that many times fall in ilegal trading or get injured some how.
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Right now we can be very proud of falconry in our country, and with the law we are speaking about falconry legalization, but it is not prohibit.
Raptors that we hunt with are american kestrel, aplomado falcon, bat falcon, peregrine falcon, harris hawk, Ornate Hawk, etc. And of course we need to mention the first Golden Eagle in South America that was brought in 2017. So with this variaty of species you can hunt a lot, from bats, little birds of different kinds, ducks, partridge, tero tero, etc. So if you ever want to come and hunt with us, we have a lot to show!
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We hope Falconry and good practices keep growing in our country, and we can’t deny that with the impact falconry has there hasn’t been problems one of the main ones is the ilegal trading and capturing of wild raptors, but we think by teaching always good ethic ways and working along with authorities we can change a lot for the good of this magnificent art that unites us all.
