Eagle Hunter

Asher Svidensky, a 24-year-old photographer from Israel, has recently visited Mongolia with the aim to document the lives of traditional Kazakh eagle hunters.

“I wanted to document the ‘Future Generation’ – boys who take their first steps in learning the hunting skills, boys who hold the tradition’s future in their bare hands,” explained the photographer.

After he spent a few days photographing different boys for his project, Svidensky came across Ashol Pan, the 13-year-old daughter of an experienced eagle hunter.

“She was perfect. I was amazed by her comfort and ease as she began handling the grand eagle for the first time in her life. She was fearlessly carrying it on her hand and caressing it somewhat joyfully“, says Svidensky.

Her father told Svidensky that his eldest son, the successor of the eagle hunting tradition in their family, had been drafted to the army and is not likely to return to the tradition. “It’s been a while since I started thinking about training her instead of him, but I wouldn’t dare do it unless she asks me to do it, and if she will? Next year you will come to the eagle festival and see her riding with the eagle in my place,” Ashol’s father said.