The golden eagle is native to Mongolia. Domesticated birds are used for hunting small animals in some areas. The eagle is also in demand as an export to nations like Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia which revere the ancient sport of falconry. Friends have told stories of the golden eagle swooping low to try to nibble their dog as they hiked in the hills.
This gentleman is ethnic Kazakh, originally from the western portion of the nation that inches toward, but does not quite touch Kazakhstan. There's a large Kazakh population in the west, the largest ethnic minority in Mongolia. Life is peaceful for them in the west, thankfully. They pursue their lives as they wish and have been able to construct many new mosques without interference from the Mongolian government. Travel plans permitting, I'll be visiting the area soon.
The man asked if I'd like to hold the eagle for a minute.
As politely as possible, I declined.
2 comments:
hi M.,
see the gobi when you have time to.
schastlivogo puti!
cheers,
D.
Still not into birds, huh? :=) Very beautiful, thanks for sharing!
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