Hunting foxes with eagles

The landscape of Zhaosu grassland [Photo provided to China Daily]

Kills drills come after intimacy is established with the burkitshi.

Wormanbek explains this while stroking the cloth fox decoy he sewed to drag behind horses with a noose of meat dangling from its mouth for eagles to practice plunging on.

The irony of his gentle petting of the teddy-like animal, with button eyes and a real foxtail (provided by his previous eagle), while describing how the gaming birds kill them, seems lost on him.

As he strokes the cuddly creature, he describes how an eagle's blinders are its detonation device.

"The eagle is constantly on high alert without its mask. It's exhausting for the bird," Wormanbek says.

Once it's off, it immediately scans for predators and prey.

Before a hunt, nomads whet the birds' appetites with a chunk of meat from which the blood is washed until it's white.

"It wants blood," Wormanbek says.

Catching an animal satiates its hunting instinct inflamed by the pallid meat, he says.

Wormanbek says training eagles in turn physically and mentally trains the burkitshi.

"Eagles are smart and tough but also sensitive," Wormanbek says.

"They're disappointed if they don't catch anything. When they feel like this, you should pet and hug them and offer soothing words. They don't like anything gruff."

Wormanbek says he was brusque until he became a burkitshi.

"Once I started training eagles, they in turn, trained me," Wormanbek says.

"They taught me patience and serenity."