In these remote hills, you might still meet a hunter on horseback, with a golden eagle at their side.
Eagle hunting is a time-honored tradition of the nomadic Kazakh people of western Mongolia, and the custom is alive and well.
By perfecting the tightly choreographed dance between rider, horse and eagle, these hunters are able to track hares and foxes, and catch them for food and fur.
Over several years, photographer Claire Thomas spent time with this community and documented the eagle hunters in these beautiful photos, which are collected in a new book called Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia.
Thomas, an experienced horse rider, first came to the region in 2019, and ended up revisiting the same families and watching traditions pass from one generation to the next.
In a time when the heritage of communities like these is threatened by climate change and urbanization, Thomas wanted to capture a reminder of the “spirit, beauty, and wisdom that comes from living in close connection with the natural world”, she said.
The book is available in stores from October 6th.
Focused on the wonderful world of rewilding, Volume 5 sees us get into the weeds – and go beyond the ferns – with our green-thumbed cover star Zach Galifianakis, walk with wolves in Slovenia, create a wilder world in Denmark, find meaning in fashion, and much, much more.
