3.2.3 Prey Availability

Fox were individually represented in 5 out of 10 responses by eagle hunters, the same frequency as the Mountain Cat (which is confirmed to be the Pallas’s Cat, based on observations of hanging animals skins in the homes of eagle hunters). The Red Fox fur, when

distinguished, is preferred to the Corsac Fox fur because of the larger size and color of the pelt (A-7, AS-2). Regardless, some hunters strongly prefer fox pelts to those of other animals (AS-2, AS-4). The pelt of the Pallas’s Cat is considered too warm for hat making (A-7). Other animals hanging on the hunters’ walls as trophies included pheasant, owl

(AS-4, A-1), and what looked to be a ferret or weasel (A-4). Two juvenile wolves were observed chained, to be used for eagle hunting when desired (Figure 3).

Figure 3. A falconer shows off his eagle. Pictured on the right is the glove that the raptor perches on when the pair is hunting.

3.2.3 Prey Availability

Interviews of both hunters and of government and tourist officials, provided conflicting data on how the prey base population has shifted. When asked about the number

of prey species 4/9 responses stated that there are now lower populations than there have been in the past, 2/9 answered that there is the same amount, and the last 2/9 participants believed there to be more available prey species than there have been in the past. In Ulgii several sources said that the population of prey there was stable (ET-2, ET-1). One report is

that there are fewer foxes, thanks to illicit hunting methods (T-1), while interviews in the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment suggested that when it comes to the impact of