How to Tame a Golden Eagle: Orda Speaks with Trainers

Hunting with birds of prey is a traditional Kazakh art and national sport. It is done with golden eagles, falcons, and hawks.

Yeltay Muptekeyev, a representative of the Kyran Federation, a trainer and referee of national and international tournaments in hunting with birds of prey, told Orda.kz about it.

How long have you been working with golden eagles? 

— It's been 24 years, going on 25. I've been interested in golden eagles since childhood because our ancestors kept birds of prey, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.

How do you train birds of prey?

— First of all, you need to teach the bird to sit on your hand. For this, trainers use a biyalay — a traditional leather glove. Then, it would be best to start feeding the bird from your hand. While feeding, we stroke its back so that it does not get worried about the person because of the food. Birds of prey are very sensitive and can hold a grudge for a long time. 

So, when training a golden eagle, you should not get angry at the bird, scold it, drink alcohol, or smoke. When the bird learns to eat from your hand, training begins to fly for game. When it learns to catch an animal without difficulty, it begins to be taken out hunting. Of course, at first, birds of prey have no experience in catching game, but if you regularly let them out hunting, they will quickly learn. This is how golden eagles, hawks, and falcons become fast, strong, and not aggressive towards people.

 What does one need to do to become such a trainer?

— Anyone can keep golden eagles. But to do this, you need not just want but truly dream of becoming a trainer. It would be best if you studied the birds you plan to keep and read a bunch of special books to begin with.

If someone wants to learn how to hunt with birds of prey, there are federations in each region that you can contact and take lessons from local trainers. Now, the federations are working on creating nurseries for birds of prey.

But until they are available, villagers bring us wounded birds or those with underdeveloped wings. Nurseries are necessary for restoring and reproducing such birds and transferring them to people who want to keep them.

It has been a long time since falconry became a national sport. What challenges does this sport face?

— Hunting with birds of prey was recognized as a national sport in 2001, and 23 years have passed since then. Of course, there were many difficulties. An athlete not only prepares themselves but also trains the bird of prey.

We have rules for each type of bird: golden eagles, falcons, and hawks. In addition to hunting, the bird needs to be prepared for competitions, and difficulties often arise in this case. Training a bird takes a lot of time.

Some people offer to take pictures with golden eagles in tourist places like Medeu or Shymbulaq. Is it right to use birds for business?

— We have eagle hunters who are members of the federation and those who are not. Some of them work in places like Medeu or Shymbulaq. First, they must register since the federations monitor how the birds are kept.

Some owners of birds of prey take photos in tourist places and earn money from it. In my opinion, this is good for us — foreigners see eagles and get to know our culture better.

But, the bird must not suffer. It must be protected, its plumage must be monitored, it must not be held in hands all the time, it must be released for hunting and involved in sporting events. If these requirements are met, there are no objections.

This year, a law will be passed restricting the activities of those not registered with the federation. The federation intends to limit the use of birds for commercial purposes for those who do not participate in sporting events and do not release birds for hunting.

The golden eagle is a sacred bird depicted on our flag, so people not registered in the federation are not allowed to use the bird in business.

Tell us about the keeping of golden eagles and other birds of prey. How many kilograms, what kind of meat do they eat daily, and how much water do they drink?

— Golden eagles are the most voracious of all birds of prey. They require a high level of care. The main thing is to keep them clean, without smoke, as smoke is very harmful to their body: it can make breathing difficult and even lead to death. 

They eat only clean, unsalted meat. Each golden eagle eats up to two kilograms of meat per day. When we prepare them for hunting in the fall, we give them half a kilogram daily. We feed them moderately to maintain their activity. 

Since spring, we have prepared golden eagles for molting. By winter, when they participate in hunting, their fallen feathers are renewed, and damaged ones are restored during molting. For a good molt, we feed them to satiety.

The peculiarity of these birds is that if they are full, they do not eat the next day until they digest the food. 

In the summer, we give them water, fill their drinking bowls, and change them daily. In winter, they do not drink water but are content with the juice from the meat. Smaller birds, such as hawks and falcons, need to be fed every day, but they eat less, as they are smaller.

Original Author: Correspondent