"A Hunter's Hope": Snaring Birds in Warring Afghanistan

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17 April 2019 08:23 WIB

Jan Agha, 49, an Afghan hunter, tries to catch his crane at a field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. As the early morning light breaks over the plain north of Kabul, bird hunter Jan Agha checks his snares as he has done for the past 30 years, hoping to catch a crane, using a tethered bird to lure others down to the nets. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB

Jan Agha, 49, an Afghan hunter, inspects a crane in a field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. 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. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB

Cranes are seen at a hunting field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. 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. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB

Jan Agha, 49, an Afghan hunter, carries artificial cranes at a field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. 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/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB

Jan Agha, 49, an Afghan hunter, guides a crane towards cages at a field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. With environmental controls virtually non-existent, there is little check on how many birds are caught or shot and Jan Agha, who started hunting when he was around 12 or 13, reckons he has taken more than 1,000 cranes and an uncountable number of quails, ducks hawks and sparrows. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB

Jan Agha, 49, an Afghan hunter, gives water to his cranes at a field in Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan April 10, 2019. Picture taken April 10, 2019. For Jan Agha, hunting is a relief, taking him out of the daily round and into the harshly beautiful countryside, where groups of hunters set out in the night, picnicking at night in the desert before testing their skills at dawn. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

16 April 2019 00:00 WIB