Alankush and Arkalak

Kazakh eagle hunters and animal herders Alankush and his son Arkalak ride horses while training their golden eagles in the Altai mountains of western Mongolia. Like many Kazakh men, Alankush followed in his father’s footsteps working with eagles from a young age. “We keep eagles mostly because it’s a traditional sport,” he says. “All Kazakhs love to train eagles. We have a strong relationship – I look after her as if she was a baby.” Despite having lived his whole life in the mountains, Alankush hopes for a different future for his children. “I don’t have an education and I’m not young, so for me it’s better to stay in the countryside,” he says. “But countryside life is very hard, especially for children, that’s why I send my children to school. If they finish University I hope they’ll find jobs in the city.”

Published in The New York Times on February 22, 2021.