Hunting Hounds of Arabia

Raw energy explodes onto the screen in a powerhouse of rippling muscles, and sheer determination. Ultra slow motion images of speed, strength and physical beauty portray the hunting dogs of the deserts of Arabia and North Africa, the salukis. From man's earliest attempts to domesticate the wolf and wild dog through to the development of specialized hunting dogs, HUNTING HOUNDS OF ARABIA traces the origins and the spread of sighthounds from Arabia, through the Middle East and North Africa. National Geographic Television & Film introduces us to one of the world's oldest breeds of dog, the saluki. This is the true dog of the desert wind, spectacularly fast, with great endurance to match. It is the coursing dog of the Bedouin. It is a dog so special, that is holds a special place in the Islamic world. The ancient Egyptians kept and bred salukis. Inscriptions on ancient tombs attest to the close bond between dog and owner in ancient times. The tradition of carefully breeding these extraordinary dogs continues today. The program explores the contrasting methods for breeding and raising salukis in the Arab world - from a Bedouin breeder in Jordan, to an ultra-modern breeding centre in Abu Dhabi. The salukis they breed may differ in appearance, yet at heart they are the same - swift, smart, and beautiful. While the saluki retains the look of its ancient forebears, the world around it has changed. There is little left to hunt in the desert wilds of the Arab world. And a shift in breeders' and owners' priorities away from an emphasis on hunting may threaten the purity of the saluki line. Ironically, the future of the breed may be linked to the conservation of the desert animals like the hare, gazelle and oryx that it once hunted. The program asks can this timeless breed survive unchanged in the modern world? The program compares the sight hounds to the one predator defines speed in the natural world, the cheetah, and finds startling similarities between the two. We see many varieties of saluki and have cameo appearances from jackals, wolves, and falcons. This program takes on an unusual subject and a story that until now has remained largely untold. It combines the reality of the modern Arab world with the mystique of the distant past, interwoven with sequences of wild and domesticated hunting animals.