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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Mint-on-sunday/  The defenders of the skies of Roland Garros
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The defenders of the skies of Roland Garros

A band of falcons and hawks are tasked with keeping small birds from wreaking havoc at the French Open

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When Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal arrived in Paris last Sunday to mount their French Open campaigns, they weren't be the only champions skulking around Roland Garros.

The champions of the skies had already been working for two weeks by then. Since 15 May, three Harris’s hawks and two gyrfalcons have been patrolling above the 12 hectare stadium complex, doing their job of keeping the smaller birds away.

These five birds of prey are in the charge of Ludwig Verschatse and his wife, the couple tasked with bird control at Roland Garros. They arrive annually with their trusty band of birds to sanitize the skies of crows, pigeons and other smaller avians—critters that can cause serious problems during a tennis match. 

Ludwig Verschatse.
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Ludwig Verschatse.

This year, the Verschatses have added another winged soldier to their crusade for clear skies: Yzie, a four year old female hawk who joined hawks Tara and Chuck and falcons Apollo and Hunt in the daily operations.

“Every year there is a change and we adapt our interventions," Verschatse, 57, said over the phone from Paris. “It has become bigger, there are more people, more players."

Death by forehand is not common, but occasionally birds have met a sordid end on a tennis court. In 2002, the French player Michael Llodra unwittingly assassinated a house martin during the Australian Open, causing immediate death. In 2012, a swarm of seagulls at Melbourne Park threw a match between Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt briefly off track—though none were martyred in an eventual four-set Djokovic victory. More recently, just last month a bird disrupted proceedings during a Nadal match in Monte Carlo. 

All of this means that Verschatse, who runs the Merlyn Falconry, has a serious job at hand. The fortnight before action kicks off on the main draw, his birds of prey fly for hours from morning to evening to spread a healthy dose of terror through the skies. There is a wood nearby and plenty of vegetation in this quiet suburb, so sending the flocks of pigeons scurrying—and then keeping them off—is a continuous process. During the tournament, the birds are sent on their mission only in the morning before matches begin, and later in the evening once play ends.

Verschatse communicates with his birds through signing, indicating when they need to keep flying and when their policing is done and they can return. “It’s very noisy so we train the birds to react through signals," he said. For their labours the birds are fed on a diet of fresh meat—usually rats. 

In the early years when the couple first came on board, they had 007, a gyrfalcon. He had a fearsome reputation, but no licence to kill. “We are not here to kill pigeons," Verschatse said emphatically. “We are only here to create insecurity and ensure they avoid this place." Now, though, 007 has retired. “He is a legend, everybody knows him," he said later, by email, adding, for good measure, “You can watch him in action on our website."

It was a lot of 007’s early work that helped clear up the place when they first started. By Verschatse’s estimates, the number of regular visitors has fallen to about 30 or so from about 250 pigeons six years ago with their annual efforts. Game, set and match to the birds of prey. 

The couple has been working with birds for decades, helping clear town areas and industrial sites in addition to their work at Roland Garros and football grounds around the country.

At home they have 60 birds, and training a bird might take up to two years. Though originally Belgian, Verschatse has been living in the south of France since 2003 and has been working with birds for more than three decades.

He too played tennis once, not professionally, but for fun. And his favourites include the Belgian stars of a previous era: Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.

But now there is no time to watch the games. His faculties are kept occupied elsewhere. “When I have the opportunity, yes I watch," he said, “But first I am here for my work, to see that there are no pigeons."

Most of tennis royalty has visited Verschatse during his rounds on the grounds—including the Williams sisters, Roger Federer, Nadal and Stan Wawrinka. “They are very kind," he said. “They are pleased we are here and that there are fewer pigeons. Everyone is pleased we have a good result."

That can be achieved thanks to the coordination between the humans and their birds. “I form a couple with my birds of prey. There is confidence between us, otherwise it doesn’t work," he said.

Verschatse’s contract is renewed every year, and each time he has been returning with the same experienced fleet of birds. “They recognize the site, they have worked before, they know the places," he said. “We always use the same birds." They are after all, the defending champions of the air.

Bhavya Dore is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.

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Published: 03 Jun 2017, 11:33 PM IST
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