Ölgii is a city located in the extreme west of Mongolia. A predominantly Kazakh region, it is famous for nomadic eagle hunters who still maintain their old tradition of hunting with Golden Eagles trained from a young age. The chance to meet and spend time with them was definitely worth it despite the harsh winter climate.
We met a young girl named Zamanbol who aspires to be the next eagle huntress. Perhaps she was just shy in the presence of strangers, but she had a quiet demeanor. I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. It made me wonder whether this was where she really wanted to be. On our last day with the eagle hunters, however, we had a chance to observe how a golden eagle was trained. That was the first time I saw Zamanbol’s genuine smile. I could finally see that she loved to be out there with her golden eagle.
