Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, cave paintings depict falconry practices dating back to the Bronze Age, Genghis Khan was said to be a fan, and Marco Polo described eagle hunting with Khan’s grandson in the 1100s. Hunting with golden eagles is primarily a source not of meat, but of fur. The main prey species are red and Corsac foxes, hares, wild cats and the occasional wolf; no match for the powerful golden eagle. In 2011, UNESCO added Kazakh eagle hunting to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as an example of living human heritage. Join me to photograph this amazing cultural heritage in west Mongolia next year.
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