Keeping Kyrgyzstan’s Ancient Eagle Hunting Tradition Alive

High above the southern shore of Issyk-Kul Lake in eastern Kyrgyzstan, we wait, eyes fixed on the rocky hillside below. Movement means prey. And that means the hunt is on for Sulukke, our golden eagle.

For centuries, the nomadic people of Central Asia have hunted with eagles for food and fur. On a freezing December morning, I set out with Nur-Sultan, Kyrgyzstan’s most famous eagle hunter, to witness this ancient tradition firsthand.

The bond between eagle and man is deep. For thousands of years, nomads across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia have tamed these massive birds, hunting alongside them and passing down their knowledge through generations.Eagle and man, side by side, tracking foxes, hares, even wolves to survive the brutal winter.

Archaeological evidence suggests eagle hunting dates back to the 7th-6th centuries BC, with remains of hunting birds found in human burials among the Zheti-Tobe mounds in the Zhambyl Region.

Once, eagle hunting was everywhere. Almost every young man proved his manhood by capturing a baby eagle, training it, and hunting with it at his side. But the practice nearly vanished during the Soviet era. The state forced nomadic tribes into towns and cities, suppressing ancient traditions, rituals, and local languages.

Today, only about 50 eagle hunters remain in Kyrgyzstan. The tradition survives mostly through tourism and was recognized by UNESCO as a living human heritage practice in 2010.

More Than Pets: A Hunting Partnership

Eagles are not pets. They are hunting partners. A young male will steal a female eaglet from its nest at just three months old. A few have died in the process, killed when the mother eagle returned to defend her chick.

The hunter devotes nearly every waking moment to his eaglet—feeding her by hand, talking to her, singing to her—building an unbreakable bond. At one year old, the hunter drags a fox pelt behind him to sharpen his eagle’s pursuit instincts. Months later comes the ultimate test: the first live hunt. If the eagle succeeds, she and the hunter will spend the next 20 years together before she is released to live out her final years in the wild.

Our day begins on horseback. When the mountain path becomes too steep, we dismount and continue on foot. Hunting demands patience. Every hundred meters, we stop to toss rocks into the scrub below, hoping to flush out prey. We scan the hillside for movement. Finally, a fox appears. Nur-Sultan pulls the cap from Sulukke’s head. She spreads her wings, soars into the valley—then lands on a nearby rock. The fox is already gone.

After four hours, we hike back down. Though unsuccessful, Sulukke still needs to eat. Nur-Sultan demonstrates the brutal efficiency of the hunt with a live rabbit. Sulukke swoops down, sinks her talons into its fur, and tears it apart piece by piece.

The decline of eagle hunting has disrupted local ecosystems, once balanced by controlling prey populations. Urbanization, climate change, and younger generations leaving rural areas further threaten this ancient tradition. Conservation efforts, both local and international, aim to preserve eagle hunting and ensure its survival for generations to come.