When a Kazakh hunter spots a fox over a mile away running across the valley and removes a leather cap (tomaga) from the eagle’s eyes. It quickly spots the fox and is released from its leash (ayak bau) for the kill. The golden eagle opens its 8 foot wings and descends rapidly to the valley below, topping 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph). Though it slows down before it reaches the fox, it quickly kills the small animal by applying of up to 700 lbs of pressure from its razor-sharp talons. The eagle hunter races down the mountain to the scene. One there, he holds out a piece of mutton and calls his bird. The eagle jumps back onto the arm, and the hunter retrieves the fox carcass. This rare and magical event takes place every winter in the rugged, isolated mountain passes of Bayan-Olgii, Mongolia; where eagle hunting is preserved like no other place on earth by a small enclave of Kazakhs.