Eagle hunters target tourists

Mongolia's Kazakhs show off ancient skills
Reuters

Published: Monday, October 08, 2007

SAGSAY, Mongolia - More than 700 years after Marco Polo wrote about them in his Travels, Kazakh eagle hunters are hoping their traditions will bring badly needed jobs to this remote corner of western Mongolia.

About 200 hunters, wearing elaborate brocade gowns and fur hats, showed off their skills this weekend at the Golden Eagle festival in the Altay mountains, where tourism is one of the few sources of income.

Swooping down from a cliff, the eagle lands on his master's arm as he gallops on horseback across the vast steppes. Judges award points for the fastest time and best technique.



Kazakhs, who make up less than six per cent of landlocked Mongolia's 2.5 million population, have used eagles since ancient times to hunt for marmots, small foxes and wolves.

But the festival has been held only since 2000 as a way of attracting visitors to a part of the country whose remoteness has starved it of investment.

"Economic development of the area is very important," Abish Mekei, a professor at the National University of Mongolia, said.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

Unbelievable. Those are some very tough eagles.

solvi,
Thank you for the video link. Those are amazing hunts with eagles. I didn't realize the steppe wolves were just barely larger than our coyotes.

Yeah, great video. Thanks for the link.