Falconry is among the oldest recognized human traditions. For Kakhi Jordania, it’s greater than a talent — it’s a calling that blends historical past, tradition, and conservation. From the mountains of Georgia to international cultural festivals, Jordania has constructed a profession as each a grasp falconer and a voice for wildlife safety. His story reveals how one particular person can carry an historic artwork into the trendy age.
Early Years within the Caucasus
Kakhi Jordania grew up in Tbilisi, surrounded by the huge landscapes of the Caucasus. His grandfather, a shepherd and hunter, first launched him to birds of prey. At simply ten years outdated, he watched a golden eagle swoop down from a cliff in Kazbegi.
“That second modified me,” Jordania recollects. “I noticed the ability of the eagle and felt its freedom. I knew I needed to spend my life shut to those birds.”
Whereas his friends centered on metropolis life and sports activities, Kakhi sketched hawks and eagles, realized their calls, and hung out with hunters who practiced falconry. This early publicity to each wildlife and custom set the stage for his future.
Studying the Historical Craft
In his teenage years, Jordania started a proper apprenticeship underneath a conventional falconer in japanese Georgia. He skilled with saker falcons and golden eagles, birds lengthy prized by Georgian the Aristocracy.
“Falconry just isn’t solely coaching a hen,” he explains. “It’s persistence, respect, and belief. You don’t personal the hen. You kind a partnership.”
Wanting to broaden his expertise, Jordania traveled by Central Asia, the Center East, and Mongolia. These journeys gave him perception into completely different falconry traditions. He mixed them with fashionable science to create a singular method to coaching and conservation.
Constructing a Profession in Falconry and Conservation
By his early thirties, Jordania had turn into recognized worldwide for his mastery. He based the Caucasus Raptor Conservation Initiative (CRCI), a corporation devoted to defending endangered raptors and preserving falconry tradition.
CRCI’s affect has been vital:
- Greater than 400 injured raptors have been rescued and rehabilitated.
- UNESCO acknowledged Georgian falconry as a part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
- Faculty applications in rural Georgia train youngsters about ecology, biodiversity, and custom.
- Satellite tv for pc monitoring now screens the migration of saker falcons and imperial eagles.
Jordania additionally brings falconry to worldwide levels. His demonstrations — combining stay hen shows with storytelling — have drawn audiences from Abu Dhabi to Berlin.
“When folks see a falcon dive at full pace, they really feel one thing historic inside them,” he says. “It connects them to nature in a method few issues can.”
A Philosophy of Stability
For Jordania, falconry just isn’t merely sport. It’s a dialogue between human and hen. He typically describes the falconer’s glove as a logo.
“The glove just isn’t management,” he explains. “It’s belief. It’s the house the place wildness meets humanity.”
This philosophy guides each his conservation and his cultural work. He believes that by preserving falconry, folks may also defend the ecosystems that make it attainable.
Writer and Cultural Advocate
Jordania’s affect extends to writing. His e-book, Wings of the Caucasus, is each memoir and cultural research. It tells the story of falconry in Georgia and its function in shaping identification. The e-book has been translated into 5 languages.
“I needed folks to see falconry not as a forgotten customized,” he says, “however as a dwelling custom that teaches us about respect for nature.”
His work has earned recognition, together with the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Advocate award (2019) and the International Conservation Award (2021). He’s additionally an honorary member of the Worldwide Affiliation for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey.
Life at Residence
Regardless of his international attain, Jordania stays rooted in Georgia. He lives within the hills outdoors Tbilisi together with his spouse, Nino, and their two youngsters. Their residence doubles as a sanctuary for rescued birds — from saker falcons to barn owls.
Household life blends with conservation. It’s not uncommon to discover a falcon perched close to the household’s out of doors desk or to listen to the decision of an owl at night time. In quieter moments, Jordania paints birds in flight, performs the panduri (a Georgian string instrument), and hikes within the Caucasus.
Wanting Forward
Jordania continues to stability custom with innovation. His conservation work focuses on constructing consciousness amongst younger folks whereas increasing international analysis on raptor migration. He stays dedicated to defending the species that formed his life’s path.
“Falconry teaches humility,” he displays. “When a hen chooses to fly again to your glove, it isn’t obedience. It’s belief. That belief is what we should construct with nature itself.”
By means of his profession, Kakhi Jordania has proven how an historic apply can form fashionable conservation. His story is proof that the previous and future can meet — within the wings of a falcon.
Have you ever learn?
The World’s Finest Medical Colleges.
The World’s Finest Universities.
The World’s Finest Worldwide Excessive Colleges.
International Mobility and Wealth Safety: Why Citizenship by Funding (CBI) and Residency by Funding (RBI) Applications Are Important for International Executives and Excessive-Internet-Price People.
