Medical Rehabilitation and Quarantine of Illegally Traded Macqueen's Bustard (chlamydotis Macqueenii) in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract The Macqueen's bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii), previously known as the Houbara bustard, is an increasingly threatened species. A potentially significant cause of its decline is illegal trade. When illegal shipments of these birds are confiscated by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, they are placed with the National Avian Research Center's (NARC) Macqueen's bustard rehabilitation program. In this report, we describe the threats to the Macqueen's bustard in the wild and provide a detailed description of the quarantine program at NARC and of how this program is designed to minimize the effects of diseases that are commonly seen in these illegally traded birds. Issues surrounding decisions for euthanasia, for incorporating birds into a breeding program, and for releasing birds back into the wild are also discussed.