Lady-berkutchi Makpal Abdrazakova, aka “eagle-babe”

Maybe you’ve heard of falconry, the practice of training birds of prey to catch small animals and bring them back to human handlers. Personally, I associate them with medieval Europe. However, the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey informs me that falconry was already popular in Mongolia 3000 years ago, and it’s still practiced in contemporary central Asia. And don’t go assuming that “falconry” is only for falcons, because I got on this track after reading about Makpal Abdrazakova, the only woman in Kazakstan who has been trained as a berkutchi, or golden eagle hunter. Read More →