The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is the world’s foremost falcon welfare institution, and the first of its kind. It opened on 3 October 1999, as an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, since when it has been directed by German veterinary surgeon Dr Margit Gabriele Müller and has become one of the largest avian hospitals.

The hospital operates under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. It has proven itself one of Abu Dhabi’s major tourist attractions.

The hospital has individual air-conditioned rooms for over 200 birds. Each year about 6,000 falcons enter its care. It offers annual check-ups because it is often difficult to recognise whether a falcon has a health issue. The staff is experienced in treating everything they might diagnose. Even the birds’ feathers are carefully scrutinised. As visitors learn during the popular tours a falcon’s flight gets significantly unbalanced when they lose even a single flight feather. Consequently it is standard treatment to repair or substitute lost feathers by those kept in stock.