Shaimurat Askhabil: Three time Golden Eagle Champion | WildStories
WildMongolia
[{'start': '16.280', 'end': '19.917', 'text': 'I started following eagle hunters when I was around 10 years old.'}, {'start': '19.917', 'end': '24.588', 'text': 'My father was an eagle hunter, and so were two of my older brothers. I used to accompany them on hunts, observe, and help with the work.'}, {'start': '24.588', 'end': '29.426', 'text': 'At that time, I didn’t have an eagle of my own, but I learned by watching them and being part of the process.'}, {'start': '29.426', 'end': '36.233', 'text': 'I followed people with eagles, helped them to set up the hunt by calling out foxes, carrying their equipment.'}, {'start': '36.233', 'end': '41.071', 'text': 'That’s how I absorbed the knowledge — over many years, from being with experienced hunters.'}, {'start': '41.071', 'end': '45.709', 'text': 'Our family has practiced eagle hunting for three generations.'}, {'start': '45.876', 'end': '49.880', 'text': 'Not every Kazakh becomes an eagle hunter.'}, {'start': '50.748', 'end': '58.122', 'text': 'Just like the son of a driver often becomes a driver, and the child of a teacher becomes a teacher — eagle hunting is passed down within families.'}, {'start': '58.122', 'end': '59.857', 'text': 'It’s not for everyone.'}, {'start': '61.325', 'end': '66.697', 'text': 'In Bayan-Ölgii province, it’s said there are around 300 eagle hunters, but realistically.'}, {'start': '66.697', 'end': '72.069', 'text': 'it’s more like 150 or 160 who are actively practicing.'}, {'start': '73.237', 'end': '75.606', 'text': 'How many children do you have?'}, {'start': '75.939', 'end': '78.308', 'text': 'I have ten children'}, {'start': '81.545', 'end': '83.914', 'text': 'How many of them are Eagle Hunters?'}, {'start': '84.314', 'end': '86.683', 'text': 'One of them is now an eagle hunter.'}, {'start': '87.684', 'end': '90.053', 'text': '6 of them are of my own.'}, {'start': '91.321', 'end': '93.690', 'text': '4 came from outside'}, {'start': '94.224', 'end': '96.593', 'text': '3 of them are my sons in law.'}, {'start': '97.194', 'end': '99.563', 'text': 'No matter, they are still my children'}, {'start': '99.563', 'end': '100.497', 'text': 'And 1 daughter in law'}, {'start': '104.101', 'end': '106.470', 'text': 'Thats is how I have 10 children,'}, {'start': '106.470', 'end': '108.839', 'text': '6 girls and 2 boys.'}, {'start': '109.440', 'end': '111.809', 'text': 'And the youngest one is an Eagle hunter'}, {'start': '111.975', 'end': '114.344', 'text': 'We have 2 eagles.'}, {'start': '115.145', 'end': '117.514', 'text': 'One is 1 years old and the other is 2 years old.'}, {'start': '121.218', 'end': '127.825', 'text': 'For Kazakh people, eagle hunting isn’t just a sport — it’s a tradition.'}, {'start': '127.825', 'end': '142.940', 'text': 'Many centuries ago, when livestock was limited, people used to rely on eagles to hunt for fur-bearing animals and sell the pelts to make a living.'}, {'start': '143.941', 'end': '156.220', 'text': 'We continue that tradition to this day — hunting with eagles, making clothes from the pelts, and selling what we can. It’s a way of life that’s still alive.'}, {'start': '156.520', 'end': '160.791', 'text': 'Typically, young eagles fly away from their nest around 10th of July.'}, {'start': '161.458', 'end': '164.795', 'text': 'From there, it takes about three to four months to train them. So by October they can hunt.'}, {'start': '166.029', 'end': '168.098', 'text': 'Within 3-4 months.'}, {'start': '168.599', 'end': '171.201', 'text': 'We don’t capture eagles to harm them. We don’t kill or eat them.'}, {'start': '171.501', 'end': '175.639', 'text': 'It’s something granted by nature — and our people understand that.'}, {'start': '178.575', 'end': '183.213', 'text': 'We only take female eagles, because after about five years, they begin laying eggs'}, {'start': '183.614', 'end': '188.252', 'text': 'That’s why, after four or five years of hunting, we return them to the wild, back into nature, so they can live freely again and reproduce.'}, {'start': '189.419', 'end': '194.057', 'text': 'That’s how the tradition has been maintained in a respectful way.'}, {'start': '195.659', 'end': '200.297', 'text': 'Eagles usually lay one or two eggs.'}, {'start': '200.697', 'end': '204.301', 'text': 'Males are too small and not strong enough to catch large prey.'}, {'start': '204.935', 'end': '207.371', 'text': 'Only the females are used for hunting'}, {'start': '208.405', 'end': '214.511', 'text': 'Sometimes we give our eagles to friends — if one is better trained, or if someone is struggling, they might pass theirs on.'}, {'start': '214.511', 'end': '220.117', 'text': 'If I can’t train an eagle properly, I might give it to someone else who can.'}, {'start': '220.117', 'end': '223.120', 'text': 'Eagles are brave and swift creatures.'}, {'start': '223.120', 'end': '226.890', 'text': 'In 2017, we had an Eagle Festival Called "Khan Sonor"'}, {'start': '226.890', 'end': '229.259', 'text': 'That time we hunted wolves.'}, {'start': '229.793', 'end': '235.766', 'text': 'The wolf ran under a car, and my eagle followed — it went under the car right after the wolf.'}, {'start': '236.867', 'end': '239.236', 'text': 'We feed our eagles raw meat.'}, {'start': '240.671', 'end': '244.141', 'text': 'both from wild animals and livestock, depending on the situation.'}, {'start': '244.541', 'end': '247.311', 'text': 'From September to March, they hunt.'}, {'start': '247.711', 'end': '251.348', 'text': 'During that time they hunt their own food.'}, {'start': '252.282', 'end': '254.685', 'text': 'From March, we begin feeding them ourselves.'}, {'start': '255.385', 'end': '262.893', 'text': 'It’s not easy to raise eagles — for example, to feed them one hare,'}, {'start': '262.893', 'end': '269.766', 'text': 'I might need to use one or sometimes three to four bullets, and each bullet costs 5,000-10,000 tugriks.'}, {'start': '270.701', 'end': '273.637', 'text': 'It’s expensive and takes effort.'}, {'start': '273.637', 'end': '276.840', 'text': 'In summer, if we buy meat for ourselves,'}, {'start': '277.374', 'end': '279.843', 'text': 'we’ll set aside some meat for the eagle.'}, {'start': '279.843', 'end': '282.946', 'text': 'We don’t let them go hungry.'}, {'start': '284.314', 'end': '289.319', 'text': 'Once you’ve taken responsibility for an eagle, you must feed it well — with clean, nutritious meat.'}, {'start': '290.887', 'end': '297.127', 'text': 'Eagles can only eat marmot meat once. They don’t digest marmot well — it’s too fatty.'}, {'start': '298.662', 'end': '304.901', 'text': 'Hares are leaner and better for their health.'}, {'start': '306.069', 'end': '312.309', 'text': 'In winter, they hunt hares and foxes'}, {'start': '313.477', 'end': '321.818', 'text': 'If necessary, we give them lamb meat from our meals — just enough to keep them satisfied.'}, {'start': '325.622', 'end': '330.127', 'text': 'Skill of an eagle depends on how it was trained.'}, {'start': '330.127', 'end': '335.799', 'text': 'I have one way of training, another hunter has other method of training.'}, {'start': '336.533', 'end': '338.535', 'text': 'Depending on the hunter.'}, {'start': '338.535', 'end': '343.240', 'text': 'For example, I am 3 times Golden Eagle Festival champion.'}, {'start': '343.240', 'end': '345.175', 'text': 'no one else has done that.'}, {'start': '345.876', 'end': '349.846', 'text': 'I have the trophies to prove it.'}, {'start': '350.180', 'end': '355.052', 'text': 'Some people say that they won 3-4 times, but here is the living proof.'}, {'start': '356.186', 'end': '361.058', 'text': 'I’ve won competitions at the city, provincial, and soum level.'}, {'start': '362.993', 'end': '366.496', 'text': 'But success also depends on talent'}, {'start': '367.064', 'end': '373.704', 'text': 'Just like there are Provincial and Soum Master Horse Trainers are recognized as masters, there are also master eagle handlers.'}, {'start': '373.704', 'end': '380.343', 'text': 'Training an eagle is not like training a horse. You have to release a bird into the sky,'}, {'start': '380.343', 'end': '386.983', 'text': 'have it catch live prey, and then return to your arm when you call. That’s not something just anyone can do.'}, {'start': '387.851', 'end': '392.255', 'text': 'In summer, we migrate to our summer home in June.'}, {'start': '393.724', 'end': '397.260', 'text': 'At the end of August, we move to autumn camps.'}, {'start': '398.195', 'end': '402.299', 'text': 'After arriving there, we begin balancing their diet again.'}, {'start': '403.567', 'end': '408.672', 'text': 'The eagle is getting fat during the summer. In winter they have to hunt their own food.'}, {'start': '408.672', 'end': '412.542', 'text': 'And we put them on a special balanced diet.'}, {'start': '412.542', 'end': '417.781', 'text': 'First, we train them to return from short distances for food.'}, {'start': '417.781', 'end': '420.751', 'text': 'Eagles are coming to eat food.'}, {'start': '420.751', 'end': '423.720', 'text': 'If they’re too full, they won’t come.'}, {'start': '423.720', 'end': '427.724', 'text': 'If they’re too fat, they might just fly off and not return.'}, {'start': '428.191', 'end': '430.327', 'text': "They won't even consider you."}, {'start': '430.327', 'end': '433.130', 'text': "They won't even hunt. If the diet is not balanced."}, {'start': '433.730', 'end': '437.067', 'text': 'They come for food, for the hunt.'}, {'start': '437.067', 'end': '440.570', 'text': 'Eagles don’t come because “Shaymurat is calling.”'}, {'start': '443.173', 'end': '450.080', 'text': 'That’s why their condition — their weight, their hunger, their energy — must be carefully managed.'}, {'start': '450.480', 'end': '453.817', 'text': 'Only experienced eagle hunters know how to do that.'}, {'start': '454.184', 'end': '459.422', 'text': 'A beginner may not realize that an eagle is too fat to hunt or too skinny to survive.'}, {'start': '459.422', 'end': '463.660', 'text': 'This one is becomming fat, we have to give less food.'}, {'start': '463.660', 'end': '467.898', 'text': 'If the eagle is too skinny, it knows that it cant catch the prey.'}, {'start': '469.766', 'end': '474.004', 'text': 'It is going to wrestle and fight with the prey.'}, {'start': '474.004', 'end': '476.940', 'text': 'Eagles have sharp instincts. They can gauge their oponent.'}, {'start': '476.940', 'end': '479.643', 'text': "That is why, if its too skinny, it won't hunt"}, {'start': '479.643', 'end': '482.345', 'text': 'Hence the importance of well balanced diet.'}, {'start': '482.345', 'end': '490.854', 'text': 'I often give advice to young hunters — about feeding, training, and what to look out for.'}, {'start': '492.289', 'end': '498.995', 'text': 'I don’t run an official school, but I have three or four young men who are considered my students.'}, {'start': '498.995', 'end': '501.731', 'text': 'People in the community know they’re learning under me.'}, {'start': '502.999', 'end': '505.734', 'text': 'Recently, I’ve taken two or three more under my wing.'}, {'start': '507.437', 'end': '511.241', 'text': 'I show them the customs and ethics of eagle hunting, and take them with me.'}, {'start': '513.910', 'end': '519.549', 'text': 'In our Altantsugts soum, there used to be fewer than ten eagle hunters., about 5-6 hunters.'}, {'start': '520.517', 'end': '524.653', 'text': 'But that number is slowly growing to about 10, and I’m proud to help pass it on.'}, {'start': '524.854', 'end': '528.791', 'text': 'In other soums, eagle festivals are held regularly.'}, {'start': '529.058', 'end': '532.995', 'text': 'For example, Ulaankhus and Sagsai have many eagle hunters.'}, {'start': '533.330', 'end': '535.631', 'text': 'That’s because tourists go there all summer —'}, {'start': '535.631', 'end': '538.134', 'text': 'to Tsambagarav, and to the western ranges.'}, {'start': '538.367', 'end': '540.469', 'text': 'Almost every tour heading that way includes an eagle experience.'}, {'start': '540.469', 'end': '542.571', 'text': 'In Sagsai soum alone, there are about 70 to 80 eagle hunters.'}, {'start': '542.872', 'end': '544.974', 'text': 'But in our soum, we receive far fewer tourists.'}, {'start': '544.974', 'end': '548.277', 'text': 'For a long time, it was only a few of us who practiced eagle hunting traditionally —'}, {'start': '548.277', 'end': '550.080', 'text': 'there wasn’t anyone else involved.'}, {'start': '550.714', 'end': '552.514', 'text': 'Now, we’ve been organizing our own eagle festival for two years,'}, {'start': '552.749', 'end': '554.550', 'text': 'Last weekend of September'}, {'start': '554.917', 'end': '556.719', 'text': 'and this year will be our third.'}, {'start': '557.152', 'end': '560.189', 'text': "That's why a few young people are getting interested."}, {'start': '561.023', 'end': '564.059', 'text': 'Back when I started eagle hunting,'}, {'start': '564.059', 'end': '569.031', 'text': 'there was no such thing as "photo tours" or "eagle tourism."'}, {'start': '570.599', 'end': '574.670', 'text': 'We trained and hunted with eagles simply to carry on tradition.'}, {'start': '574.670', 'end': '578.741', 'text': 'Now, a few younger guys are getting into eagle hunting'}, {'start': '578.741', 'end': '581.877', 'text': 'as part of the tourism industry — doing it for some income —'}, {'start': '581.877', 'end': '584.113', 'text': 'and that’s fine too.'}, {'start': '589.486', 'end': '594.057', 'text': "No, I don't think so. But still some people claim that their eagle came back."}, {'start': '594.057', 'end': '599.896', 'text': 'But I have never experienced it. I mean you are letting it free back into the wild.'}, {'start': '599.896', 'end': '604.634', 'text': 'So why should it come back? Thinking logically.'}, {'start': '604.634', 'end': '609.239', 'text': 'They sense the freedom, say "Bye Bye" and gone.'}, {'start': '614.477', 'end': '619.081', 'text': "I don't know what my eagles would say about me, since they cant talk."}, {'start': '620.650', 'end': '625.288', 'text': "Maybe if they could, they would say they are in the hands of a strict person, I don't know."}, {'start': '625.288', 'end': '630.226', 'text': 'Or maybe they might say that they are in the hands of a person that know eagles well.'}, {'start': '630.226', 'end': '634.364', 'text': 'And fly away from there with more experience.'}, {'start': '634.563', 'end': '639.568', 'text': "They won't be bothered to find food, from elsewhere."}, {'start': '639.568', 'end': '644.741', 'text': 'They have their food prepared, their home prepared.'}, {'start': '645.575', 'end': '650.746', 'text': 'And after 4-5 years before they hatch an egg, they are released back into the wild to find a husband.'}, {'start': '651.281', 'end': '658.053', 'text': 'Ofcourse they will be happy to search for a husband or a mate.'}]