Surrounded by Gers in the Altai Mountains, I was blessed to spend two days with the Eagle Hunters of Mongolia. These families choose to continue the traditions carried forward by hundreds of generations, through thousands of years. Living in harmony with female golden eagles, the hunters feed the eagles in the summer when hunting for the eagles is hard. Then, in the winter when prey is easy to spot from the sky but hard to reach through the snow, the eagles hunt for the hunters, providing much needed meat and fur for the families. When the eagles enter prime breeding age, they are returned to the wild, ensuring the continuance of the species.
The summer is training time for the eagles. I was perched on a precarious ledge, well below the rocky hilltop where Jenisbek sat with his eagle. On the valley floor below and behind me, his training partner stood, calling the eagle.
I zoomed in and focused, pushing the shutter button as she launched into flight.
Her flight was elegant and beautiful.
But, unknown to me, I was in the direct line between the eagle and her target below.
I zoomed out as the bird got closer……………
………………………..and closer.
AND CLOSER!!!!!!!!
Breathtaking grace with lethal talons flying directly at me.
How I did not flinch or lower my lens I will never know. But eagles are experts in the sky. They do not hit what they do not aim for and thankfully I was not her target.
As she glided past me she was but a whisper of wind.
Then I felt it. They do not hit what they do not aim for, but the tip of her wing brushed my arm as she passed by. I lowered my camera and looked up at Jenisbek in awe.
He had seen. Arm still up from the launch, a smile crossed his face in approval. I had not imagined it. I had been touched by an eagle. An honor I will remember forever.
Read on for more on Mongolia and the Eagle Hunters
Mongolia is a land of wonders and contrasts. It is a vast country of varied and rugged landscapes. In the south and east is the Gobi desert with giant sand dunes and extreme temperatures. The Steppes in the center of the country are flat grass lands populated with herds of sheep, goats and iconic Mongolian horses. In the far west and southwest are the Altai mountains, sharp, rugged, colorful and demanding.
The capital city of Ulaanbaatar, which houses almost half of the 3.5 million people of Mongolia, has soaring skyscrapers, modern technology and the traffic problems of any major city. But the heartbeat of Mongolia is the lifestyle of the other half of the population. Out on the Steppes and in the Altai the people follow the traditions that have guided them for 1000’s of years. The people mostly live in Gers. Round, mobile structures comprised of sheep's wool, canvas and lattice shaped wood that can be disassembled and reassembled in the matter of two or three hours. There is no electricity or indoor plumbing. They live the simple life of herders and hunters, following the seasons, dependent on the weather. While some do have trucks and no longer move their camps on the back of camels, most of their daily herding activities take place on foot or horseback (and the occasional motorcycle).
It is in Altai Mountains where the Eagle Hunters make their homes. They have a unique and beautiful tradition, living in harmony with one of the most powerful hunters in the sky, the Golden Eagle. For thousands of years they have raised and trained young female golden eagles. By adopting a pre-fledged eaglet, the hunters are helping to improve the survival rate as many eaglets do not survive to adulthood. The summers are spent training, feeding and resting the birds when hunting is hard and food is scarce for the raptor. Then, when winter comes, the eagles return the favor. The Eagle Hunters carry the birds on horseback to the tops of cliffs and mountains where they launch the eagles into the hunt. The eagles capture the prey that provides food and fur for the family, ensuring the survival of both the eagle and humans. But the Eagle Hunters know they must return the adult birds to the wild if the species is to flourish. When the female eagles reach their prime breeding age, 10-12 years old, the hunter takes his bonded eagle back into the wild and releases her. But the bond is so strong the release must happen at night, and the hunter must leave in the dark or the eagle will follow him back to his Ger. He has trained the eagle in the ways of the hunter, ensuring her survival. She has given his family sustenance during their time together. It is true harmony of nature, man and beast.
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