Kyrgyzstan: Traditional hunting arts festival attracts people

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Kyrgyzstan: Traditional hunting arts festival attracts people

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Some 250 km east of Bishkek in the village of Baktuu Dolontu, Kyrgyzstan held its annual Salburun hunting festival on Saturday, a celebration designed to revive the popularity of Kyrgyz traditional hunting customs.

08 March,2011 06:59 am

Featuring arrow, dog and bird of prey hunting contests as an alternative to rifle hunting, the contest drew competitors from across the country and filled the villages hippodrome stands with crowds of traditional hunting enthusiasts. Twelve golden eagle hunters from the Issyk-Kul Lake District where the contest was held brought their birds of prey to the event, setting them in contests to attack foxes and wolves.Kyrgyz traditional hunting methods during fell out of practice for close to 100 years, throughout the Soviet period and afterward. Festival organizers hoped to popularise Salburun and revive interest in Kyrgyz hunting traditions.