Mongolia holds saker falcon festival

Mongolia held a Saker Falcon Festival on Tuesday to celebrate the Asian country's national bird. The festival, rich in ethnic characteristics, took place in Genghis Khan camp outside the capital of Ulan Bator. Twenty Kazakh falconers from western Mongolia rode past the podium on horseback as the sakers spread their wings for the audience. A hunting competition was held following the opening ceremony. Under the guidance of the masters, the saker falcons caught rabbits, foxes and other prey before a "King Saker Falcon" was selected by both professional judges and tourists. Tsedevdamba Oyungerel, minister of culture, sports and tourism, said Mongolia would declare the event a traditional Mongolian festival and celebrate it annually to promote tourism. The saker falcon was named Mongolia's national bird last year.