When the hunter becomes the hunted   A nine-month eagle is trained to prey in district 7 in Ho Chi Minh City Photo: Tuoi Tre The hunt for hawk-eagles, i.e small and medium-sized eagles which possess hawk-like characteristics in the tropical and subtropical areas of Eurasia and Africa, has been gaining momentum among local exotic raptor dealers and enthusiasts. In the past few years, many people, particularly the affluent, have indulged in this faddish hobby to win others’ admiration though hawk-eagle keeping is not legally permitted. There are currently dozens of raptor dealers in Ho Chi Minh City to cater to the rapidly increasing demands. Awe-inspiring pastime Thai, a café owner in Hoc Mon suburban district, keeps an imposing hawk-eagle in an iron-netted cage to the awe of his clients and visitors. “It’s great to go for a stroll with a bird of prey majestically perched on my arm. Everyone looks at me admiringly,” said Hung, who took up this hobby two months ago. Just as other fads in which pigeons can be trained for correspondence delivery or German shepherds trained to work as sniffer dogs, hawk-eagle keepers teach the fledglings prey stalking and hunting skills or keep them as ornamental caged pets. Previously, hawk-eagle keeping was exclusively restricted to the affluent circles. Now fanatics of this bird of prey come from almost all walks of life and age brackets. Clubs, websites and forums have been established for buffs to exchange information on taking care and training of the raptors. H.T. from Hoc Mon, who owns a black hawk-eagle, often takes his bird to exchange meetings. Along with several others, he drove his bike with the bird on his arm to a café in district 10, where the crowd was amazed by the imposing raptor splendidly perching and ingeniously stalking and swooping on preys. Voracious hunt for the ‘king bird’ According to Hai O, a well-known eagle dealer near Binh Hung Hoa cemetery in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan district, he has sold up to a hundred hawk-eagles in the past three years. Prices vary considerably depending on the birds’ shapes, stature, plumage and physical conditions. Birds from the Central Highlands currently fetch exorbitant prices due to their limited number from stringent forest patrols in the region, Hai O added. A bird weighing around 1.3 kg with a 1-meter wingspan is now worth some VND7 million (US$338). According to this seasoned dealer, the prices of young birds soar from only VND2 million a few years ago to VND4-7 million, or even over VND10 million (US$482) each. According to Tuoi Tre investigations, hawk-eagles are transported to HCMC in several ways. Dung, a hawker who frequently displays his ‘goods’ for sale on the 3/2 Street in district 10, is willing to take his clients home for a look at the birds. “We now display them from only 11am to 1pm every day to evade increasing police checks,” Dung said. He boasted he supplies the birds to many online hawkers. There are up to dozens of birds each time when they are transported from the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong by his relatives, Dung added. There are also a number of bulk dealers, with several dozens of fledglings in each package. “Supply often doesn’t meet demand. The hawkers usually pay me in advance to buy the birds from the hunters,” said Du, a wildlife bulk dealer in Binh Tan district. Hailing from Dac Lac province, Du mostly gets his supplies from hunters operating in the forest edges in the Central Highlands and along the Cambodian border, including those in his hometown. According to Du, though hawk-eagles’ breeding season is nearing, young birds are worth no less than VND4 million (US$193) each. His birds are packed in coaches along with other wild animals such as bear or tiger cubs. According to Dung, another raptor wholesaler from Binh Chanh district, his supplies come from the northern mountainous region. He often ensures his customers that they will not suffer losses after buying the birds from him, as they are allowed to return them. According to Dung, hawk-eagles typically inhabit pristine forests, which are home to towering, precarious mountains. It takes days to successfully trap the birds, with both parents and nestlings sometimes captured together during the breeding season, he noted. According to Nguyen Dinh Cuong, head of HCMC Forest Ranging Office, hawk-eagles are among the endangered wildlife species. Confiscation and penalties will be imposed on the illegal trading, transporting and detaining of the birds, including keeping them as pets. His office has yet to issue any permits on raising or trading hawk-eagles, Cuong added. His rangers have busted many illegal dealings of this bird of prey in recent times. Vietnam is home to three hawk-eagle species, with two of them inhabiting the Central Highlands and the remaining one populating southern Phu Quoc and Con Dao islands. TuoitreNews