A Kyrgyz berkutchi (eagle hunter) launches his bird, a golden eagle, during the "Salburun" hunting festival in the village of Tuura-Suu near Issyk-Kule lake, some 280km from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

A traditional hunting festival in Central Asia, Salburun involves four disciplines, including falconry, archery, mounted archery and hunting with Taigan, a breed of sighthound.