The golden eagle hunters of Mongolia
India-born Australian photographer Palani Mohan was told there were only about 60 Kazakh golden eagle hunters left in the world and he went in search of them. Fascinated by the bond between hunter and eagle, he photographed a vanishing culture over several years in the remote, desolate Altai mountains of far-western Mongolia. The beautiful duotone images now can be seen in a book, "Hunting with Eagles: In the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs" by Merrell Publishers.
For the story on CBSNews.com: Photographing the golden eagles hunters of Mongolia
Pictured: On a bitterly cold morning Aibek Mana stand on the edge of a cliff with his eagle on his arm, encouraging the bird to swoop on the prey below.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Portrait of a giant golden eagle against the Mongolian skies near the border with Russia.
Orazkhan Shuinshi, 93, known as the oldest and wisest of the eagle hunters, told Mohan, "Golden eagles are like no other bird. They want to be with you. They love you. And they love to kill for you." He described letting them go as the "hardest thing a man can ever do."
"Hunting with Eagles"
A group of eagle hunters, known as burkitshi, head off with their eagles on a hunt.
Mohan believes the eagle "encapsulates the open space, the wind, the harshness, the isolation and the freedom of living on the edge of the world."
"Hunting with Eagles"
A giant golden eagles spreads her wing taking off during a hunt to catch a red fox below.
Only young females are taken to be trained, as they are larger and more powerful and aggressive than the males. -- with a wingspan of 2.5 meters (8ft) and weighing up to 7 kg (15lbs) when fully grown.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Golden eagles can live for up to 30 years, but they are only kept about 10-15 years after their capture and then released and given their freedom. Often the bond is so strong that the eagles will come back.
Mohan says the birds are very important to the souls of the hunters.
"Hunting with Eagles"
A Hunter walks with his eagle in western Mongolia's Altai national park.
Orazkhan, 93, one of the oldest of the eagle hunters says the eagles are wild fighting birds. They are not something to hang on the wall like a carpet.
"Hunting with Eagles"
The beautiful and majestic eagles have a massive wingspan of 2.5 meters (8ft) and weigh up to 7 kg (15lbs) when fully grown.
"Hunting with Eagles"
In addition to their awe-inspiring wingspan the talons of golden eagles can kill prey instantly by piercing the heart.
"Hunting with Eagles"
A golden eagle sits in a hunter's winter home with a tomaga (hood) over its face to keep it calm. The hood is taken off only when it is time to hunt or eat.
The eagles are treated as part of the family, living inside the hunters' homes.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Eagle hunter Ongar in his winter home on the edge of western Mongolia's Altai national park.
Eagle hunters are called burkitshi.
"Hunting with Eagles"
These spectacular clouds are quite common in this part of Mongolia, forming at high altitude as the wind rises over the mountains.
It is a barren but starkly beautiful landscape under an immensely expansive sky.
"Hunting with Eagles"
A fox-skin coat keeps a hunter warm as man and bird look out across the mountains.
The climate is a harsh one with winter temperatures plummeting to minus 40 Fahrenheit.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Madina, a 63-year-old wearing a fox skin coat, cradles his 6-year-old eagle in his arms.
"They love to be carried in such a way. It makes them feel loved and relaxes them, just like a baby," he told the photographer.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Kuanbay, a young 20-year-old hunter, with his eagle on the edge of western Mongolia's Altai national park.
Orazkhan Shuinshi, 93, known as the oldest and wisest of the eagle hunters, told Mohan, "Golden eagles are like no other bird. They want to be with you. They love you. And they love to kill for you." He described letting them go as the "hardest thing a man can ever do."
"Hunting with Eagles"
A father and daughter share a meal in their winter ger (a traditional tented home). Away from the cold and the wind, families constantly consume hearty food and warm drinks: dried cheese, chunks of cooked meat and an endless supply of hot yak's milk tea.
Ethnic Kazakhs number around 100,000 and are the largest minority in Mongolia. Kazakh nomads have grazed their livestock near the Altai Mountains for hundreds of years.
"Hunting with Eagles"
A group of young Kazakh men play Ulak Tartysh, a traditional game where teams battle for control of a goat carcass, in a sometimes brutal test of their horsemanship
"Hunting with Eagles"
In the depths of winter it becomes too cold even for the eagles, so they are swaddled in pieces of leather and hand-woven carpe. The hunters say swaddling the birds keeps them relaxed, warm and fresh before the hunt.
"Hunting with Eagles"
One of the great eagle hunters, 70-year-old Olmarke, poses for a photograph near the Altai Tayan Bogd national park in western Mongolia. He has been hunting with the golden eagles since he was nine-years-old.
The hunters are rugged, formidable and proud. The harshness of the landscape is etched on their faces.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Red foxes killed by eagles.
The usual prey for golden eagles are foxes. The pelts are used for coats and the meat for food.
"Hunting with Eagles"
High on a mountain pass, a hunter sits patiently, scanning the horizon for a wolf or fox.
Mohan writes in his book, "The hunters all had stories about how they loved their birds even more than their wives."
"Hunting with Eagles"
A golden eagle sits in a ger (a traditional tented home) with a hood on to keep the bird calm. The hood is always kept over the eagle's eyes and only taken off when it's time to hunt or eat.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Ethnic Kazakhs number around 100,000 and are the largest minority in Mongolia. Kazakh nomads have grazed their livestock near the Altai Mountains for hundreds of years.
"The young generation today aren't interested [in traditions], and there are many things that keep them busy, such as earning money and listening to music," explained Orzakhan to the photographer on one of his many visits. He said they just want to go to the capital, Ulan Bator.
The way of life is dying out.
"Hunting with Eagles"
Few younger Kazakhs want to carry on the eagle hunting traditions. The way of life is dying out.
Orzakhan said,"In the old days, if you didn't have an eagle next to your home you weren't a real man."
"Hunting with Eagles"
Palani Mohan lives in Hong Kong. His photography has been published worldwide for leading publications and is part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. "Hunting with Eagles: In the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs" released by Merrell Publishers, is his fifth book.
Mohan: "The hunters are getting old and the eagles fewer in number. I'm grateful and immensely privileged to have met them and entered their astonishingly beautiful world."
For the story on CBSNews.com: Photographing the golden eagles hunters of Mongolia