Raptor training available in Hanoi
Mr. Duong Tien Sinh in Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district has formed a group of five people to train birds of prey, a game that originated in the Middle East about 10 years ago.
Training birds of prey entered Vietnam 10 years ago. In the photo, Mr. Duong Tien Sinh's group often trains birds in an open field in Trung Van ward, Nam Tu Liem district.
Birds of prey are trained with four exercises: standing and eating on gloves, passing hands, grabbing prey in the air and hunting naturally. Among species of raptors, the falcon is dubbed as the "sky killer". They have good hunting ability and their flying speed in the wild can be up to 320km/h.
The trainers take care of the falcons when they are young and the training begins when the birds are nine months old. Each falcon is priced from 800,000 to 2 million VND.
The falcon is characterized by bright eyes, wide wings, a beak and sharp claws that help them bite and tear food.
The birds’ instinctive hunting and wild personality cannot disappear totally. To prevent them from flying away, the trainer must attach a GPS device to their back. The device is priced at 30 million VND/unit.
To conquer raptors, it takes trainers about 3-6 months to get used to them. Mr. Phillip, a South African national who has been in Vietnam for three years, is a member of Sinh’s raptor training group.
According to Mr. Viet, another member of the team, training wild birds takes a lot of time, and requires patience as well as understanding of their habits and preferences. In the photo is an eagle which is priced at 3 million VND.
Flycams are used to attract birds of prey away.
“After six months of training, the bird will obey the trainer’s command," said Tuyen, another member.
Lura is often used in training.
Birds are only fed one meal a day. Their food is mainly stork, quail, and chicks.
Anh Nguyen