Hunting with golden eagles

Hunting with golden eagles, is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the 12th and 13th centuries, when a good golden eagle and a fast horse had equal value and gave their owner noticeable prestige. Although this practice gradually disappeared over time, hunting with birds (especially golden eagles) is still popular in some areas of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. People from the West, tend to imagine falconry - and although hunting with hawks and falcons also takes place, it looks like child's play to those who have hunted with golden eagles. The hunt takes place on a specially trained horse. To enable the rider to hold the golden eagle, a special device "baldak" is adapted to the saddle to support his arm. Usually young deer, foxes, and other small animals are hunted. During the hunt, a golden eagle, rushes down and kills them with lightning speed. Golden eagles are even capable of killing young wolves when they are unable to cope with deep snow. Sometimes golden eagles hunt in pairs, just as they would do in the wild. An experienced pair, a Berkutchi (hunter) and a bird, can on average catch 50 or 60 foxes, a dozen badgers, a pair of bobcats and 4 to 5 wolves, in a normal four month season, which begins in late fall. Golden eagles rarely fail in catching their prey, they kill it quickly, usually by breaking its neck with their powerful claws.Catching, training and keeping golden eagles is a very ritualistic activity in which both Kyrgyz and Kazakhs are real experts. They even teach birds to leave hardly visible traces on their fur when they kill their prey. Training golden eagles takes a long time (3-4 years), it must be done by one person and the process requires constant daily attention. Most birds (with an average life expectancy of 40 years) are caught young, they are put on the head with a special hood and placed in a cage with a perch which swings constantly, while the Golden Eagle sings special songs to let the bird get used to its voice. (Later, the golden eagle will be able to distinguish human voices and will respond only to the call of its master). The golden eagle feeds the bird itself. When a golden eagle has almost reached the adult age, the master shows him the skin and fur of those animals which he must hunt in order to get him used to the smell and peculiarities of the prey. All this is done with special commands. The training continues by dragging the fox fur behind the galloping horse. Not all golden eagles are suitable for training, but only those with special loyalty. Despite the fact that they are never tethered, they always come back after they have killed their prey. The hunting season with golden eagles begins in October and ends in February. Larger golden eagles maltreat in the summertime and cannot fly. So, during the tourist season, opportunities to demonstrate this art and magnificence of the birds are limited to showing the smaller falcons. Demonstrations can be organized at Issyk-Kul, in Naryn or near Bishkek.