Post by OldGreenVulture on Jun 9, 2019 10:46:06 GMT
This thread is originally from Carnivora. Eagles and wolves:
Eagle Training in Mongolia: A Western Perspective
By Stephen Bodio
The Kazakhs of Kazakhstan, northern China, and Mongolia have trained Golden Eagles for hundreds or possibly thousands of years. Trained Golden Eagles from "the North" appear in Chinese paintings dating as far back as the 7th century... Good western accounts of falconry with eagles appear as soon as Westerners make contact with Central Asia. Marco Polo mentions eagles trained to kill wolves...
I spent the month of February 1998 in Mongolia's westernmost aimag [province] of Bayan-Olgii and returned for the month of October 2000 in order to learn and record the Kazakh methods of eagle training. I hunted with three eagle trainers…and interviewed all of them at length. The report that follows is a brief overview of how Kazakh eagle training resembles and differs from methods used in the West.
All the birds currently flown in Mongolia are "Berkuts," golden eagles of the subspecies Aquila chrysaetos daphanaea. These are large birds, a Kazakh eagler told me; his bird weighed eight kilograms when fat, although I never saw a scale. The older Kazakhs divide the birds into types or races according to their looks, although these appear to have little taxonomic [validity]. The "breeds" include the "Altai White Shoulder," the "Hovd Yellow," and the "Valley" or "Oil" Black. One octogenarian told me that there were also "Blue" eagles and "Cross" eagles, which are half vulture! Several of the older falconers remember "sakers" ("shunkar") being flown at hares and, occasionally, ducks. On my second trip, my guide and friend Canat Cheryasdaa told me that the young man at the Olgii Mosque was now flying a shunkar. I heard no evidence of trained goshawks.
The primary quarry of Kazakh falconers are two species of fox, Vulpes vulpes and Vulpes corsac. Their skins are used to make the typical Kazakh hats. Hares are also taken but are not [as prized]; one falconer asked me whether I would rather hang a hare or a fox from my saddle. They are used as eagle food, along with the usual diet of [mutton].
Wolves are taken regularly, and although I never saw one attacked, I saw several skins. All but one were adolescent wolves. Although some eagles can kill full-sized wolves, "Manai," an accomplished falconer warned me that "If you want to let your eagle go in ten years, don't hunt wolves!" It might be worth noting that he had the largest wolf skin I saw in Bayan-Olgii.
I heard from several eaglers in 1998 about an eagle that had flown at a snow leopard and was killed earlier that winter.Most of the birds flown in Bayan-Olgii are "eyasses"-fledglings taken from their nests-rather than "passage" or pre-breeding young adult birds. This seems to be a matter of preference, as it is in the West. Eyasses are considered "braver" and are more likely to take large quarry such as wolves. All the eyasses "scream" or food-beg, although "screaming" exaggerates their rather quiet voices (compared to the falcon). This is considered an asset, not a vice, as it enables the falconer to keep track of the bird (no bells are used.) A common cause of mortality among falconers' birds is catching their jesses between rocks; if the bird is not found, it will starve. Canat mentions finding several dead birds over the years. Obviously, a bird that calls is easier to find. The only falconers I met who regularly flies passage birds were Manai and his apprentices. They cited the better "manners" of the less-dependent birds. These were among the best-behaved trained birds of prey I have seen in almost forty years of falconry. Not only Manai, but his young sons could hood, unhood, "pet," and even hug these enormous birds without any signs of aggression or defensiveness, despite the fact that one had killed a wolf….
Kazakh equipment differs somewhat from the western variety. Jesses are braided, often with hammered metal loops at the rear end and attach to broad cuffs, often lined with sheepskin. They unlace to fit over the bird's foot, so they can be taken on and off and transferred easily.
Gloves are right-handed, sheepskin lined, and very thick. They extend as far as the elbow.
Hoods are sized exactly to each bird's head. Paper patterns exist and are traced onto leather. The hoods are adorned with a feather- shaped loop of leather, which is used, as in the west, as a handle. There are no braces or straps; the hoods fit well enough to make these superfluous. Sometimes a strip of cloth is wound around the piece that fits under the bird's "chin" to tighten the fit. Another ingenious modification is a sort of wooden throat latch hanging below the bill on some hoods, which is used to compress the bird's throat if it is calling when the eagler is waiting for or calling a fox. Canat calls it the "silencer." The better hoods are often adorned with silver medallions.
Lures usually consist of dead hares, or facsimiles of hares or foxes. One I saw was made of marmot skin fitted out with a fox tail and stuffed with hare meat. In contrast to simple lures, the equipment pouch, tied to the falconer's belt, is often quite elaborate, and embroidered in colorful traditional Kazakh designs.
When riding the falconer's right arm is supported by a Y-shaped crutch called a "baldach." A thong that attaches to its base lies across the falconer's right knee and is tied to the saddle ring, acting as a shock absorber. In the coldest regions, such as the western and northern parts of Olgii, the more traditional eaglers may outfit their birds with mittens and even "sweaters" of sheepskin to help keep them warm….
Most Kazakh eagles wear plumes of eagle-owl ("Ukhu") feathers tied with thread to their wing coverts, as a symbol of power. Kazakhs believe that an eagle-owl can kill an eagle. Two additional methods of conditioning were observed. Fat eagles could be dosed with black tea and sugar through a rubber tube inserted into their mouth, which would cause them to vomit and, theoretically, become sharper. Or, in winter, they would be made to eat three or four small pieces of ice before hunting.
Some Western observers in Kazakhstan and Kirghizstan have alleged that eagles are kept at a very low weight and are "sharp set," and so are weak and only flown "downhill" at easy quarry. In Bayan-Olgii this is manifestly untrue. All eaglers I met were adamant that any good bird would fly out ahead of its quarry and attempt to attack from in front in order to control the jaws of its prey. I saw this on several occasions. On one flight (October 2000) Manai's new passage female flew into a headwind to a height of approximately 50 meters, pulled ahead, and then stooped head on into a corsac fox. The eagles I observed were muscular with a lot of flesh on their sternums.
Theoretically, Kazakhs release their eagles after about ten seasons so that they can breed. If an eagle is kept this long the falconer may attach flags of white cloth to her wings so that he can keep track of her. While there is a certain amount of mortality because of dangerous quarry and caught jesses, this is an encouraging instance of traditional conservation.
Although many changes are coming to Kazakh country, it appears that the eagle hunter's tradition is alive and strong. Many young falconers are taking up the sport, and at least one eco-tour company (Boojum Expeditions) now employs an eagler (Canat) to take small parties of hardy trekkers to see the eagles fly. September 2001 will mark the third annual "Bayan-Olgii Eagle Festival." It is heartening to see the survival of one of the oldest falconry methods in its traditional home.
ubpost.mongolnews.mn/virtualmongolia/takhi/eagle.htm
Credited to Taipan.
Eagle Training in Mongolia: A Western Perspective
By Stephen Bodio
The Kazakhs of Kazakhstan, northern China, and Mongolia have trained Golden Eagles for hundreds or possibly thousands of years. Trained Golden Eagles from "the North" appear in Chinese paintings dating as far back as the 7th century... Good western accounts of falconry with eagles appear as soon as Westerners make contact with Central Asia. Marco Polo mentions eagles trained to kill wolves...
I spent the month of February 1998 in Mongolia's westernmost aimag [province] of Bayan-Olgii and returned for the month of October 2000 in order to learn and record the Kazakh methods of eagle training. I hunted with three eagle trainers…and interviewed all of them at length. The report that follows is a brief overview of how Kazakh eagle training resembles and differs from methods used in the West.
All the birds currently flown in Mongolia are "Berkuts," golden eagles of the subspecies Aquila chrysaetos daphanaea. These are large birds, a Kazakh eagler told me; his bird weighed eight kilograms when fat, although I never saw a scale. The older Kazakhs divide the birds into types or races according to their looks, although these appear to have little taxonomic [validity]. The "breeds" include the "Altai White Shoulder," the "Hovd Yellow," and the "Valley" or "Oil" Black. One octogenarian told me that there were also "Blue" eagles and "Cross" eagles, which are half vulture! Several of the older falconers remember "sakers" ("shunkar") being flown at hares and, occasionally, ducks. On my second trip, my guide and friend Canat Cheryasdaa told me that the young man at the Olgii Mosque was now flying a shunkar. I heard no evidence of trained goshawks.
The primary quarry of Kazakh falconers are two species of fox, Vulpes vulpes and Vulpes corsac. Their skins are used to make the typical Kazakh hats. Hares are also taken but are not [as prized]; one falconer asked me whether I would rather hang a hare or a fox from my saddle. They are used as eagle food, along with the usual diet of [mutton].
Wolves are taken regularly, and although I never saw one attacked, I saw several skins. All but one were adolescent wolves. Although some eagles can kill full-sized wolves, "Manai," an accomplished falconer warned me that "If you want to let your eagle go in ten years, don't hunt wolves!" It might be worth noting that he had the largest wolf skin I saw in Bayan-Olgii.
I heard from several eaglers in 1998 about an eagle that had flown at a snow leopard and was killed earlier that winter.Most of the birds flown in Bayan-Olgii are "eyasses"-fledglings taken from their nests-rather than "passage" or pre-breeding young adult birds. This seems to be a matter of preference, as it is in the West. Eyasses are considered "braver" and are more likely to take large quarry such as wolves. All the eyasses "scream" or food-beg, although "screaming" exaggerates their rather quiet voices (compared to the falcon). This is considered an asset, not a vice, as it enables the falconer to keep track of the bird (no bells are used.) A common cause of mortality among falconers' birds is catching their jesses between rocks; if the bird is not found, it will starve. Canat mentions finding several dead birds over the years. Obviously, a bird that calls is easier to find. The only falconers I met who regularly flies passage birds were Manai and his apprentices. They cited the better "manners" of the less-dependent birds. These were among the best-behaved trained birds of prey I have seen in almost forty years of falconry. Not only Manai, but his young sons could hood, unhood, "pet," and even hug these enormous birds without any signs of aggression or defensiveness, despite the fact that one had killed a wolf….
Kazakh equipment differs somewhat from the western variety. Jesses are braided, often with hammered metal loops at the rear end and attach to broad cuffs, often lined with sheepskin. They unlace to fit over the bird's foot, so they can be taken on and off and transferred easily.
Gloves are right-handed, sheepskin lined, and very thick. They extend as far as the elbow.
Hoods are sized exactly to each bird's head. Paper patterns exist and are traced onto leather. The hoods are adorned with a feather- shaped loop of leather, which is used, as in the west, as a handle. There are no braces or straps; the hoods fit well enough to make these superfluous. Sometimes a strip of cloth is wound around the piece that fits under the bird's "chin" to tighten the fit. Another ingenious modification is a sort of wooden throat latch hanging below the bill on some hoods, which is used to compress the bird's throat if it is calling when the eagler is waiting for or calling a fox. Canat calls it the "silencer." The better hoods are often adorned with silver medallions.
Lures usually consist of dead hares, or facsimiles of hares or foxes. One I saw was made of marmot skin fitted out with a fox tail and stuffed with hare meat. In contrast to simple lures, the equipment pouch, tied to the falconer's belt, is often quite elaborate, and embroidered in colorful traditional Kazakh designs.
When riding the falconer's right arm is supported by a Y-shaped crutch called a "baldach." A thong that attaches to its base lies across the falconer's right knee and is tied to the saddle ring, acting as a shock absorber. In the coldest regions, such as the western and northern parts of Olgii, the more traditional eaglers may outfit their birds with mittens and even "sweaters" of sheepskin to help keep them warm….
Most Kazakh eagles wear plumes of eagle-owl ("Ukhu") feathers tied with thread to their wing coverts, as a symbol of power. Kazakhs believe that an eagle-owl can kill an eagle. Two additional methods of conditioning were observed. Fat eagles could be dosed with black tea and sugar through a rubber tube inserted into their mouth, which would cause them to vomit and, theoretically, become sharper. Or, in winter, they would be made to eat three or four small pieces of ice before hunting.
Some Western observers in Kazakhstan and Kirghizstan have alleged that eagles are kept at a very low weight and are "sharp set," and so are weak and only flown "downhill" at easy quarry. In Bayan-Olgii this is manifestly untrue. All eaglers I met were adamant that any good bird would fly out ahead of its quarry and attempt to attack from in front in order to control the jaws of its prey. I saw this on several occasions. On one flight (October 2000) Manai's new passage female flew into a headwind to a height of approximately 50 meters, pulled ahead, and then stooped head on into a corsac fox. The eagles I observed were muscular with a lot of flesh on their sternums.
Theoretically, Kazakhs release their eagles after about ten seasons so that they can breed. If an eagle is kept this long the falconer may attach flags of white cloth to her wings so that he can keep track of her. While there is a certain amount of mortality because of dangerous quarry and caught jesses, this is an encouraging instance of traditional conservation.
Although many changes are coming to Kazakh country, it appears that the eagle hunter's tradition is alive and strong. Many young falconers are taking up the sport, and at least one eco-tour company (Boojum Expeditions) now employs an eagler (Canat) to take small parties of hardy trekkers to see the eagles fly. September 2001 will mark the third annual "Bayan-Olgii Eagle Festival." It is heartening to see the survival of one of the oldest falconry methods in its traditional home.
ubpost.mongolnews.mn/virtualmongolia/takhi/eagle.htm
Credited to Taipan.
