Elder eagle hunter bracing his heavy eagle on a crutch, west of Olgii, Western Mongolia

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The Kazakh eagle hunters of Western Mongolia use the golden eagle to hunt fox and rabbits for their furs, which they wear, and to supplement their meagre diet in the winter. The people of the steppes of Western Mongolia are primarily herdsmen of goats, sheep, yaks, Bactrian camels and horses and their diet is very high in meat and fermented milk, with some noodles, but few vegetables. The hunters take female eagles from the nest when they are ready to fly and train them to hunt and return to their owners. They keep the eagles for about 6 years until they are sexually mature and then release them to the wild so they can breed. To hunt, the eagles are released at the top of a mountain so they can soar above the valley below hunting for foxes and rabbits.

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Size: 5000px × 3333px
Location: Mongolian steppes west of Olgii, Western Mongolia
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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