lifestyle SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2015

Features A life dedicated to falconology Indian academic making documentary on falcons

By Sajeev K Peter Hospital when I approached it for a job,” he smiled. In addition to the Gulf countries, Medammal also visited n Indian academic who comes from a land with no fal- Germany, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran, besides spend- cons has dedicated his life to carrying out extensive ing months in Silent Valley hills along the Western Ghats in Astudies and research on falcons and falconry. Zubair Kerala as part of his research work. “I was fully aware of the Medammal is the first and only Indian to obtain a doctorate complexity of the mission that I had undertaken. Since falcons degree in the study of falcons. The falconologist arrived in fly and live at great heights, it is very difficult to watch their Kuwait to shoot an English documentary titled ‘Falcons and movements and observe their behavior,” he said. Falconry in the Arabian Gulf’ in English, Arabic and Malayalam languages. Threat of extinction “My team has already finished shooting of the 45-minute The falcon has always been regarded as a very uncommon documentary segments in Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. and shy bird, and it is very rarely observed by amateur bird After completing the shooting in Kuwait, our team will move watchers. Falcons usually prey on small birds such as houbara, to Bahrain before moving to shoot the finishing work at Dubai pigeon, and quail. Apart from hunting purposes, Medammal Media City,” he told the Kuwait Times yesterday. “I plan to pro- said, falcons could be used to drive away crows and other duce around 100,000 DVDs of the documentary, which will birds that disturb traffic as well as birds that pose a threat to then be distributed among several educational institutions in passenger planes. the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as in He urged the authorities in Kuwait and other Gulf states to India free of charge,” he said. “My mission is to bring the idea take extra care while feeding falcons as many birds in coun- that falcons and falconry are part of Arab culture and heritage, tries in the region have died as a result of feeding on bird flu- and make the younger generation aware of this,” he said. affected food and preying on infected birds. “About one-third The documentary sheds light on all relevant information of falcons die due to preying on birds exposed to pesticides. about various species of this prized bird and their characteris- The bird flu epidemic will add to the threat of extinction of fal- tic features as well as about falconry, with subtitles such as Dr Zubair Medammal with a falcon in Kuwait. cons, a symbol of force and courage, he said. “It is the only bird hunting, feeding, breeding, health and healthcare, roosting, which requires a passport to cross the border of a country, molting, pterylosis, vocalization, training and taming. Medammal said, referring to the measures taken by some Gulf Medammal made a sonogram of 15 different vocalizations of countries. “The UAE started this system in 2002 to stop smug- His story is that of a job-hunting expatriate in the Gulf who Immense challenge various species of the raptor. gling of falcons which have good market value.” later devoted his life to the study of falcons and obtained a However, Medammal became fascinated by seeing differ- The enthusiastic falconologist is also looking for a publish- Medammal is the first non-Arab to be granted membership doctorate and special degree in the discipline after having ent species of wonderful bird of prey and the methods of tam- er for his book titled “Biology and Behavior of Falcons” which in the Emirates Falconers Club. He was also honored with the being denied a keeper’s job at a falcon research center in the ing it at the center. “On that day, I took my decision. I would portrays his hard and tedious six-year research work on fal- Pravasi Award for outstanding research in foreign countries, UAE. Medammal said: “After completing my postgraduate devote my life to study falcons after taking the bitter experi- cons. The book covers all aspects on falcons, with an emphasis presented by the government of Kerala, and India’s National degree from Farook College Calicut, I landed in UAE on a visit ence at the center as a challenge,” he added. “Shouldering a on the breeding and healthcare of the peregrine/shaheen fal- Award ‘JC International’ as an outstanding young personality. visa in 1995 in search of better career prospects. In spite of a Herculean task, I took at least eight visit visas, almost 800 days, con. The book is an important study material and could be A few months ago, he was assigned to investigate the reasons frantic search, I didn’t succeed in getting a job mainly because for my studies by spending a huge amount of money. I had to introduced in the syllabus of schools, colleges and universities birds were hitting an Air India Airbus plane at Calicut airport. my specialty, wildlife biology, was not in demand.” sacrifice all money earnings for a period of six years. This was in the Middle East region, he said. Medammal’s doctoral He discovered the cause of the mishap was the Palm civet, a “As I was traveling on Abu Dhabi - Al-Ain Highway in UAE, I the way I took the challenge,” Medammal said. research topic was “Biology and behavior of falcons with nocturnal mammal. “Subsequently, I was appointed by the spotted a signboard of Sheikh Zayed Falcon Research Hospital The falconologist received special, yet painstaking training emphasis on breeding and healthcare in captivity.” He Airport Authority of India to study and suggest steps to avoid at Al-Khazna. I approached the hospital administration and in artificial falcon-breeding from Stuttgart. “I took a challenge obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Calicut in ‘bird hits’ at the airport, and I have recommended high fre- begged for a job. I was ready to work even as sweeper or to do PFBT (Practium in Falcon Breeding and Training) course Kerala in 2004, where he is currently working as assistant pro- quency ultrasonic sound generators as well as trained falcons keeper who cleans the cages of falcons. But my request was from Germany itself to take a sweet revenge from a German fessor of zoology and PG board member at department of to drive away birds.” Medammal hails from Tirur, a city in the turned down,” he recalled. doctor who drove me out of Sheikh Zayed Falcon Research environmental sciences. district of Malappuram in the state of Kerala.

The mastermind behind Caitlyn Senior travel booms in China

Jenner’s transformation hen Li Caohua retired in her late 50s, the Chinese senior citizens join organized tours. suffering in their lives. Now, with economic devel- doctor immediately joined millions of One such tour ended tragically Monday night opment, it’s so different from previous genera- he media campaign surrounding in Nierob about his gender dysphasia Wother Chinese seniors and hit the road to when a river cruiser carrying more than 450 peo- tions.” The boom in travel has been one economic Bruce Jenner’s public transforma- condition. Nierob was never formally see more of her giant country. At the top of her ple, mostly elderly tourists, capsized in a heavy bright spot to a graying population that’s present- Ttion into Caitlyn Jenner has been hired as Jenner’s rep-he helped him out destination list was tropical Hainan island in the storm in the Yangtze. By Saturday, nearly 400 have ing China with one of its most serious policy chal- nothing short of masterful, from the as a friend. Nierob worked briefly but south and the ancient villages around her home been confirmed dead, making the capsizing the lenges. substance of Diane Sawyer’s two-hour intensely with Jenner’s then-manager city of Beijing. Then there was the most grandiose deadliest maritime tragedy to hit China since the With UN data showing the number of Chinese “20/20” interview special in April to the and attorney to dissuade the Times of China’s landscapes - the mythic brown waters of country’s civil war seven decades earlier. The tour over age 65 projected to almost double to 210 mil- sizzle of this week’s Vanity Fair cover reporter from pursuing the story. He the Yangtze River and its mist-enveloped Three was organized by the Shanghai Xiehe Tourism lion people by 2030, the country’s retirement sys- reveal of Caitlyn in a bustier. The person used all the PR pressure tricks: strenu- Gorges. Agency, with the ship run by the state-owned tem will struggle to keep up, especially as China’s guiding the strategy behind the scenes ous denials, questioning the motives of Over the decades, Li survived such horrors of Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp., which special- one-child policy limits the number of working-age has been Alan Nierob, a seasoned his sources and emphasizing the ramifi- 20th century Chinese history as the man-made izes in Yangtze River travel. The ship, the Eastern people who can pay for the pensions and meager famines that killed more than 30 million people in Star, was plying the river upstream from Nanjing benefits of their elders, said Yong Cai, an assistant showbiz publicist and longtime exec at cations of such a story for Jenner and sociology professor at the University of North Rogers & Cowan. Last fall Jenner hired his family. No story ever ran. Carolina, Chapel Hill. “It’s very clear that the next 10 Nierob, who’s done crisis PR for some of to 15 years down the road will not be so good for Hollywood’s biggest names including Journey of trust the pension system,” Yong said. “Xi Jinping has Robert Downey Jr and Mel Gibson, for Thirty-odd years later, Jenner turned been saying China has to deal with the new eco- help in guiding him through a storm of to Nierob for help on his journey to nomic reality and part of this is a new demographic media attention as he came out as becoming Caitlyn because of the level reality.” transgender. Nierob declined to com- of trust between them. Jenner felt ment on this story. Nierob never betrayed the confidence ‘Dancing grannies’ Sources close to the situation said and never gossiped in Hollywood cir- For middle-class seniors, however, comes Jenner turned to Nierob for a very spe- cles about the incident. Work on the strength in numbers, Qi said. Elderly women cific reason-one that is poignant in light campaign to explain Jenner’s transfor- known as “dancing grannies” fill the parks of many of the turns in Jenner’s life today. In the mation began late last fall when Nierob cities with their music and dance routines. mid-1980s, Nierob helped Jenner at a reached out to Diane Sawyer for what Enormous groups of seniors are also regular sights moment of crisis when a reporter for he knew would be a landmark TV at Chinese tourist attractions such as Beijing’s the New York Times was pursuing a sto- moment for public awareness of the Forbidden City. Among the most popular domestic ry about Jenner being a cross-dresser. transgender community. He knew it destinations for elderly Chinese are the southeast- At the time, Jenner was on the rebound had to be serious and substantive to ern coastal province of Fujian and central Sichuan from a career downturn and was enjoy- dispel any suggestion that the emer- province, where the Eastern Star cruise ship was ing a new round of endorsement deals gence of Caitlyn was a publicity stunt. headed Monday when it overturned, Qi said. and media gigs. In the mid-1980s, a sto- Sawyer’s work on the Jenner inter- An elderly Chinese man gestures near travel agencies in southwestern China’s Chongqing He said travel along the Yangtze has fallen since ry about the Olympic decathlon star view began at an emotional time for Municipality. the world’s biggest hydroelectric project, the Three dressing in women’s clothing would the ABC News anchor, following the Gorges Dam, opened in 2012 and flooded historic have severely damaged, if not November death of her husband, direc- the late 1950s and the political anarchy of the near the eastern coast all the way inland to sites and scenic canyons. One 55-year-old property destroyed, his public image. tor Mike Nichols. After the April 24 Cultural Revolution that followed. Now, as she and Chongqing, a trip of 10 days and about 870 miles. manager, who would only identify himself by his “20/20” interview generated rave hundreds of other seniors danced, played cards family name of Shu, said he took two-day trips to reviews and 17 million viewers, the first and chatted Thursday in the winding walkways of ‘Seeing the world’ towns around Beijing with other older Chinese, promotion for Jenner’s upcoming E! Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, Li said it was her time There are many versions of senior-friendly trips paying 600 yuan, or about $100, for each excursion. docu-series, which was officially to play. designed for different income groups, with some On Thursday, he strolled along the Temple of announced during Sawyer’s interview, “We are fortunate in China that we can travel, low-cost options charging 3,000 yuan, or about Heaven’s historic covered walkway, protected from began to hit. The June 1 release of the and I’ve seen so much,” the 60-year-old woman $480, for five days on Hainan island, not including the rain and taking in the fresh air, part of what he Vanity Fair cover, which revealed said. “We’re all traveling now to a lot of places.” airfare, said Beijing travel agent Qi Chun Guan. For said was his semi-retired morning routine. “If you Jenner’s new name and look, coincided Travel agencies and packages catering to elderly Yangtze River travel, most groups fly into the have the money, you go out and play,” Shu said. Chinese say business is booming, amid overall metropolis of Chongqing and then travel down- “I’ve learned to like it.” — AP with the launch of her @Caitlyn_Jenner growth in the country’s travel industry. The number stream to the city of Yichang, Qi said. twitter account. Jenner racked up more of senior tourists in China jumped by 58 percent “Before, the elderly saved all their money,” Qi than 1 million followers in a few hours, last year compared to 2013, according to the state- said. “Now, they want to go out and see the rest of a new Twitter record, and had more run China Daily newspaper, and 62 percent of the world. These people have seen their share of than 2 million as of Friday. On Tuesday ESPN announced that Jenner would receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the July 15 ESPY Awards. That will be followed by the July 26 premiere of E!’s “I Am Cait,” which runs eight episodes. The series will chronicle Jenner’s transformation over the past few months and also show her on a new mission to be an advocate for public understanding and tolerance of transgender community concerns. In fact, sources said Jenner has been on the road this week shooting material for “I Am Cait” and hasn’t had much time to catch up with the latest round Jenner had previously been repre- of coverage. “She’s doing it,” a source sented by Rogers & Cowan around the close to Jenner says. “She’s not sitting at time of his 1976 Olympic triumph but home reading her own press. She’s on never by Nierob. The two knew each a mission to save lives and make a dif- other through mutual associates. In the ference.” — Reuters early 1980s Jenner worked for ABC and NBC covering auto racing at a time when Nierob represented star driver Danny Sullivan. When Jenner was approached by the Times with ques- tions about cross-dressing, he confided In this photo taken Friday, June 5, 2015, an elderly Chinese man uses a selfie stick near a ferry docked in southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality. — AP photos