ABU DHABI — More than 80,000 people from around the world visited the four-day Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), which concluded last night with the auction of 100 falcons, donated by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The proceeds from the sale will be donated to charities dealing with children with special needs. The birds came from the international Pro Falcon Programme, which breeds falcons in captivity to protect the endangered wild falcons.
Another highlight of Adihex’s closing day was the conclusion of the camel auction, which started on Friday. Organised by Al Hejen Research Centre (HRC), the auction attracted hundreds of participants not just from the UAE, but also from the Gulf and other parts of the world.
A total of 89 young camels of one to two years old were sold for a total price of Dh7.8 million. Dh900,000 was the highest amount paid for a single camel whose parents are Jaber (father) and Lahteibia (mother).
At the end of the auction, the visitor’s draw took place, in which on person won a free racing camel. The lucky winner was Saleh Nasser Al Mazrouei.
Set in Swaihan, HRC is a unique centre throughout the Gulf, specialising in breeding racing camels from champion parents. The most sought-after camels are descendents of Jaber, the most famous camel in the Gulf Peninsula, which sells for up to Dh1-2 million.
For the second time at Adihex, a ‘saluki best in show’ was organised in the last two days of the exhibition. A total of 132 Arabian hunting dogs participated in the contest, which was judged by Gilberto Grandi, president of the Italian Sight Hounds Club, who rated 63 smooth and 69 feathered salukis.
The two ‘best in show’ winners — Reef, 4-black-eye feathered, and Abla, red smooth — were selected by Hamad Al Ghanem, director, breeder and registrar-general of Arabian Saluki Centre.
“I am very pleased with the number of participants as well as with the quality of breed we saw in these four days. The success of last year’s show enabled us to be even more selective in terms of the quality of the breed, which means that only A-rated salukis entered the competition,” said Al Ghanem.
Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Director of the Exhibition Department at Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, one of the organisers, told Khaleej Times that 75 per cent of entries for next year’s Adihex has already been booked.