Siberian vet uses tattoos to protect rare falcons

Conservationists are tattooing these rare falcons

to protect them from poachers

Location: Barnaul, Russia

They say the procedure is practically painless

and ensures the falcons are worthless to poachers

who wish to sell them on to wealthy clients in the Middle East

Prices for the birds can reach tens of thousands of dollars

but buyers prefer wild birds and the tattoos show they came from a hatchery

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) HEAD OF 'TAYGUN' HATCHERY, ARTYOM KUCHER, SAYING:"Hunters can simply remove and cut off metal ID rings on their feet and make them sellable, and nobody will know they came from a hatchery but the tattoo will provide extra protection." / "In regards to tattooing, it's my personal technique, I proposed at one of the meetings of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources with a good purpose to make the birds unsellable."