Eagle and falcon hunting is an old Kyrgyz tradition and Salburun is a hunting game of the Kyrgyz people with hunting birds and dogs.

In Kyrgyzstan, hunting with golden eagles is still a popular way to feed a family.

The eagles are trained to hunt animals such as rabbits and foxes, but the best eagles can even bring down wolves.

The skill of hunting with big birds of prey is handed down from generation to generation in the rural areas.

It dates back to the time when hunting was the only means of survival in the Kyrgyz steppes.

The organisers of the Salburun festival has revived the tradition in the form of a competition to preserve local culture.

Kyrgyz berkutchi (eagle hunters) were seen with their golden eagles in the Kyrchyn gorge near Lake Issyk-Kul, 350km from the country's capital of Bishkek, on Monday.

They were gathering to compete in traditional Kyrgyz hunting and archery.