There is a small group of indigenous people in Mongolia, who still preserve ancient traditions and are probably the last out there who still practice the art of eagle hunting. Falconry is the art of training eagles for hunting small animals, such as foxes and it is a skill that was transmitted from fathers to sons.
Leo Thomas is a German photographer, who visited the Altai region in Western Mongolia and documented the lives of this group. From the remaining 300 eagle keepers out there, Thomas was lucky enough to meet a very special female eagle huntress named Zamabol. Statistics show that only 1 out of 10 eagle hunters are female and Zamabol comes from a Kazakh family, who practices her passion on weekends and studies on weekdays.
Zamabol trains with her brother Barzabai and Thomas had the opportunity to spend some time with them while in action and document the fascinating life of eagle hunters.
The pictures of the siblings riding on horsebacks, dressed in traditional garments, and maintaining a special connection with their eagles truly speak for themselves.