The Golden Girl - PHOTO

Photographer Asher Svidensky chose to focus on the next generation of hunters who are the future of keeping this dying part of their culture alive - including 13-year-old Ashol Pan.He said: 'I decided to focus myself; stop looking for a portrait of a centuries old image of a Kazakh eagle hunter, and instead represent the future of this ancient Mongolian tradition.'The Israeli-Russian snapper who took them spent a day at a time with each of the families he shot during a four month trek through western Mongolia.Most of his guided travels were carried out on horseback as there are very few roads in that part of the central Asian country.During that time he met the proclaimed 'Youngest Eagle Hunter in Mongolia', 14-year-old Bahak Birgen, who began training aged eight.Ordinarily young men don't begin their education until they turn 13 and are deemed to be strong enough to carry a full grown eagle on their arm.Having photographed Bahak for the last time, Asher had enough time and money to meet one more eagle-hunter.He chose to find a female student, to really demonstrate the future of this past-time and came across Ashol Pan with her father.'I didn't want to add an additional version of the previous shots, but rather look for something more than 'another boy',' explains Asher.One of the pictures shows her release a bird as big as her whole upper body whilst stood atop a mountain with the crisp white, snowy peaks in the distance.In the past this sight would have been unthinkable, but now girls are being taught to control these magnificent birds of prey to replace their brothers.Ashol's father, Han Gohadok, explained that his eldest son was due to take over the hunting duties but, as he had been drafted to the army, it was unlikely her would return to resume them.Despite his daughter's training, Han said he would never think of making her take up the role full-time, unless she explicitly asked to do so.Asher was a photographer in the Israeli army for three years before he moved over to the PR side whilst training to become a tour guide.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az