North Xinjiang: Kazakh Golden Eagles

On the way back to Karamay from Kanas, my driver made a brief stop at a small town to have a rest and replenish energy. The place where we stopped by is a noisy small market, where we discovered a golden eagle trained by two Kazakhs. If you want to take photos, you have to pay for it.

Golden eagle belongs to eagle species and it is renowned for is outstanding appearance and swift and powerful flight. With average wingspan over 2 meters and body length over 1 meter, its legs and feet are all covered with feathers. It usually lives in mountainous area or hilly area, especially in cliffs of valleys or plains at mountain foot, and perched on mountain grasslands, desserts, river valleys and forest area. In addition, golden eagles feed on medium and large-size birds and beasts, therefore, it is also famous for bravery and mighty. In ancient Babylonia and Roman Empire, people see golden eagles as symbol of King’s power. In Kublai reign, golden eagles were once trained to hunt wolves by Mongolian hunters.

In modern time, Kazakh remains the tradition of training golden eagles, but they are seldom used to hunt animals and herd sheep, most are used in tourism to make money.