Hunting with eagles in Remote Mongolia

[Geof Nanto]

 

 

Deep in the unforgiving wilds of far western Mongolia, the last remaining Kazakh eagle hunters harness a powerful force of nature.

 

The burkitshi, as they are known in Kazakh, are proud men whose faces reveal the harshness of the beautifully barren landscape they call home.

 

They have an extraordinary bond with the golden eagle, which to them represents the wind, the open space, the isolation and the freedom found at the edge of the world.

 

Australian photographer Palani Mohan has spent years documenting the noble hunters, but says only 60 remain, and fears the ancient tradition could disappear within 20 years.

 

See the full story at  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-30/palani-mohan-captures-photos-of-kazakh-eagle-hunters/6890392

 

 

 

[Marblehead]

Yep.  That was included in the "Wild China" documentary.

 

The two reasons they stated that the tradition is dying is that the young people are moving to the cities to find employment so there are few to pass the tradition on to , and, the primary prey for those hunting trips were foxes and they are becoming extinct in that part of the world and nearly all hunting trips end with no success, not even a pica or rabbit.

[LAOLONG]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falconry Edited October 30, 2015 by cobi

[Geof Nanto]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falconry

 

Thanks. Falconry has a long and well documented history in many cultures. I admire it when it's about hunting for survival as it originally was; when it's used as a sport I find it abhorrent.  I'd never before heard of hunting with eagles. 

 

Edited October 30, 2015 by Yueya

[Perceiver]

At some point, when machines take over all production, and men are free to pursue their creativity, then i'm gonna live in the woods with my family, hunt with falcons and dress up like a viking. Yeehaa!

[thelerner]

Amazing indeed.  In my youth I read the book 'My side of the Mountain'.  Where a boy runs away from home, goes to live as a mountaineer like his great grandfather did.  He gets a book from the library on falconry and is able to learn it just from reading and experimentation.  Its fiction of-course, but one wonders at the possibilities of bringing old arts back to life?