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Bird hunting is an ancient sport in Afghanistan, where local and migrating species have flocked for thousands of years and where even amid the chaos of the past 40 years of conflict, the tradition persists. The war has left much of the environment near Kabul devastated with uncleared mines, pollution, uncontrolled building and general neglect. Only in the last few years has there been an effort to restore areas like the former royal hunting grounds at Kol-e-Hashmat Khan in the city's southwest. Let us take a look at how hunters survive from Afghanistan's ancient sport:
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Spring is the season of cranes, which the hunters try to catch alive in snares, using a specially trained tethered bird whose cries attract passing flocks. (Reuters Photo)
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The birds are usually taken to shops near the town of Bagram or to Kabul itself, where there is a popular bird market in the centre of the old city. (Reuters Photo)
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Hunters learned different types of hunting from their ancestors because they were hunters too. (Reuters Photo)
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The pleasure of hunting is to be in open space. (Reuters Photo)
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As the early morning light breaks over the plain north of Kabul, bird hunters hoping to catch a crane, using a tethered bird to lure others down to the nets. (Reuters Photo)
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For most of the hunters in Afghanistan, bird hunting is a relief. (Reuters Photo)
