Falconry: from hobby to profession

August 19, 2015

Talgar Shaibyrov, falconer, resident of Bökönbayev village, Ysyk-Köl region

Two years ago, with the support of American University of Central Asia and National Institute for Strategic Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic, journalists from ABC News reported on the Kyrgyz Republic and Talgar Shaibyrov, the falconer, who trains eagles and other birds of prey.

So, what has changed since that moment in Talgar’s life?

“Thanks to God, many good things took place in my life. First of all, we became parents of daughter. Earlier, falconry was my hobby, now it is my profession. I earn my daily bread with this work, and provide for my family. We are building new home. Now I have one eagle, a falcon, a hawk and a peregrine – total 4 birds. Since then, more tourists from USA visit us.

Generally, I’m working with tourists. They come to my home, take pictures. If they like, we drive to field and make a 45 minute show. Firstly, prior to the show I tell a little about birds. After that I release a bird and it hunts rabbit. Tourists watch how the bird catches up its prey and swallows pieces of meat. After that they take pictures with birds. If they have questions, I answer to them. Thus, I learned English. Sometimes, tourists arrive without translators and I’m talking with them and explaining about my job. During the show, I wear Kyrgyz national dress with ornaments and the kalpak – national hat of Kyrgyz people. I don’t have special assistants. Sometimes I take my children with me.

Generally speaking, this trade came to us from our forefathers. I’m working on it from my youth years. Due to this trade, I went abroad several times.

I’ll build special enclosure for my birds, God willing, as I complete construction works on my home. Now my birds are kept in the courtyard. I feed them once a day. They eat fresh meat. I catch pigeons for them.

We work with tourists only in the summer season. It is seasonal work. We are busy with housekeeping in winter. Taking the opportunity, I want to say “hi” to the TV-crew from ABC News, which opened the gates for foreign journalists to our Ysyk-Köl region. Now, our trade is interesting for tourists worldwide. Welcome to Kyrgyz Republic, we await you!”

<< go to news list