Hunting Wolves In Mongolia With Golden Eagles [Video]
Mankind has been using falcons and other birds of prey as hunters for centuries but somehow one doesn’t think of any bird of prey taking on any animal larger than themselves, let alone a wolf, and yet this is exactly what they still do even today in western Mongolia.
I have to admit that after watching the video below myself I am freaking impressed with the skill, and tenacity, of golden eagles to be able to take on an animal like a wolf, and win. Even more impressed with the kinship that seems to exist between the the Kazakha of Mongolia and their eagle partners.
From the YouTube page for the video:
In western Mongolia, an ancient tradition of hunting with Golden Eagles is still alive. We know from history that Genghis Khan had 1,000 hunting birds – eagles, falcons and gyrfalcons – and so did Kubla Khan. There were protected areas in the steppe marked with stones where only the khans were allowed to hunt.
The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt and here the bird of prey is often considered a family member. The Berkutchi is a falconer who hunts with the Golden Eagle. The training of this bird was seen as difficult and even perilous even by the experienced Synchy. the bird is never a slave of its owner, only a partner in hunting.
From ancient times, berkutchi-falconers in the nomadic herder societies had the role of preserving and stocking furs. The high social status of the berkutchi and his family was conditioned by the climate, as warm strong and durable clothing for the people during the winter seasons was a vital necessity.
Here is the amazing video. Enjoy.
via Randomization
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About the Author
Steven Hodson Steven has been around the tech world long enough to see most of the stuff we think of cool happen before which leads to a certain bit of cynicism that has contributed to him being known as the cranky old fart of the Internet. Besides sharing some of the goodness that he finds with you here at 42x you can also find him curating some digital goodness at Winextra (tech type stuff) and Rotten Gumdrops (for your daily dose of WTF).
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