Propagation of the Houbara Bustard

Traditional hunting with falcons for houbara bustards was an integral part of life in the desert. Over the last few decades this species, so well adapted to the desert environment, has suffered greatly at the hands of man. Today, the future of the houbara is at stake, due to continuous degradation of its habitat by domestic livestock and to increasing hunting pressure, even in its last retreat. This book highlights the achievements of the National Wildlife Research Center, Saudi Arabia, in securing the survival of the species through captive breeding, before restoring and reintroducing this bord to its previous habitat in Arabia. The breeding programme has proved to be the greatest source of information on the bird, yielding data not obtainable at present from wild houbaras. The work is a practical "how-to" manual for breeding houbara in captivity. It also presents and summarizes data obtained on houbara diet, behaviour, physiology, reproductive biology and veterinary care that have enabled the breeding programme to succeed. The book will be of interest to those attempting to keep or breed houbara, to keepers or breeders of other bustard species, and to all those who are studying or managing wild populations.