The swiftness, speed and tact of hunting with eagles is pretty amazing to watch. But the more than 6,000-year-old tradition in Mongolia is slowly disappearing.
Eagle hunting is used by the Kazakh ethnic group. It helps supply food in winter, is used as a coming of age ritual for boys and a sport in an annual festival.
The Golden Eagle Festival has recently drawn in tourists to watch a series of competitions unfold. Tourism in the area has caused tightened wildlife preservation, but that's only part of the reason eagle hunting isn't as widely used.
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There's a lot less wildlife in Mongolia. Now, some family members get jobs outside the villages where livestock farming is a main way to bring in income.
Only about 250 eagle hunters are left in the region. The partnership between eagle and hunter is a tight bond, but hunters do let the eagles go after 10 years.
