Ałtajski Festiwal Orłów w Kazachstanie
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Eagle calling on a horseback.
Taking place in the Bayan-Olgii Province, the festival has multiple tournaments including eagle calling and retrieving a coin from the floor while on horseback.
Images show seventh and eighth-generation eagle hunters aged between 20 and 40 riding on horseback with their eagles perched on their arms against a stunning background of snowcapped mountains.
Other images show the men relaxing around a campfire with their beloved birds.
Two children are pictured sitting on a horse, training to become the future eagle hunters, they are seen holding an eagle belonging to an elder.
Another image reveals the close relationship between the eagle hunter and the bird.
The Altai Eagle Festival is a celebration of Kazakh culture, nature, and nomadic skills and takes place in the Eastern Kazakhstan region.
They hunt on horseback in the cold winter months when it's easier to spot the foxes against the snow.
Eagles are released from hills and hunt for fox skins while being towed behind a horse rider.
These exciting images were captured by Marie-Carmen Hughes (37) a Sales Director and passionate photographer from Europe.
“While interviewing them I was told that the eagles are kept for a maximum of seven years and after that, they are freed so they can always go back in the wild,” she told mediadrumworld.com.
“But once released, some eagles refuse to leave and the hunter decides to keep it with him to make sure it can live.
“One of the eagles in the pictures has been with its human, Janatkhan, for more than eight years and their bond is very strong.
“The relation between each eagle hunter and their eagle is captivating, in some there is almost a feeling of jealousy from the eagle that wants to protect its eagle hunter, sometimes there is even play or mischief which, for such strong animals is fascinating.
“These people are the seventh and eighth generation of eagle hunters.”
ENDS.
2025-01-20
Mediadrumimages/MarieCarmenHuges/Media Drum/East News
Media Drum
Mediadrumimages/MarieCarmenHuges
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1,2MB
17cm x 11cm by 300dpi
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