Kurvantai, born in 1977, is married and raising three children — two sons and a daughter. He shared that his passion for hunting birds began 23 years ago. He is a veterinarian by education and an ornithologist specializing in birds of prey. “From a young age, I loved animals. I tried to tame various hunting birds, but falcons became my favorites. I started hunting at the age of nine. My uncle was a hunter, and although he initially shot, he soon realized that hunting with birds is more humane — the animals do not suffer. A gunshot often leads to pain and torment. Therefore, I gave up weapons and became a berkutchi. For 23 years, I have continued to work with birds, and I completely abandoned weapons 17 years ago,” he recounts.
Kurvantai has a black falcon named Habibi, with whom he participates in exhibitions and competitions, repeatedly winning prizes. “Habibi is a female, she is 5 years old. This falcon was a gift from Arab partners. An Arab gave her the original name, and I did not change it. Since then, Habibi and I have participated in competitions and often take prize places. In 2023–2024, I participated in a project to release falcons into the wild, and we released 84 birds,” he shares.
Kurvantai emphasizes that falcons are listed in the international Red Book, and as an ornithologist, he opposes their illegal capture. “Falcons are very important for the ecosystem. They have high resistance to diseases and rarely get sick. If a bird breaks its leg, it can be treated, but a broken wing is much more complicated. Their lightweight skeleton without bone marrow allows them to develop impressive speed,” he reports.
Now, Kurvantai dreams of creating a state breeding facility for hunting birds, including falcons, hawks, and eagles. “For me, the main thing is that the birds can return to their natural habitat,” he concludes.
