A special report 18.06.2001 (2001)

The title of the program: "The Secret of the Olonetsky Caravan".

Every year, wild geese fly to the fields of the small Karelian town of Olonets during their regular seasonal migrations.

During the month that the geese graze on the Olonetsky fields, all life revolves around them - this is generally the main event in the life of the region.

Geese are not only hunted - in certain areas they are guarded by special forces, funds are allocated through the European Union to maintain the local fields, which allows the Olonetsky state farms to stay afloat.

This year, the Olonets residents decided to organize a large goose festival, the highlight of which was - for the first time in Russia - real goose racing.

Video: Two men dressed in camouflage uniforms look through binoculars while standing on a wooden tower in a field.

Birds fly over the field.

OMON officers stand on the road and watch the field.

Observation tower in the field, birds fly.

Animation: map with the route of geese, England, France, Olonets.

A flock of geese flies over a field.

OMON officers near a UAZ car.

Veremey Vladimir - OMON fighter says that he was in Chechnya, he is not a hunter and has not seen geese.

Kosulnikov Aleksey - correspondent walks across the field and talks about the habits of migratory geese.

A flock of geese circles over the field.

A sign on a pole "Game rest zone, all hunting is prohibited".

Panorama of a field where geese graze and fly.

A male ornithologist looks through binoculars and makes notes in a notebook.

A male ornithologist walks along the road along the field.

Arsenyev Aleksandr - ornithologist talks about the habits of migratory geese.

View through the car window onto the road.

Road signs "Murmansk 1086", St.

Petersburg 283".

Logs are stacked in a woodpile near a wooden shed, a Zhiguli car, people.

Two men in helmets near a motorcycle with a sidecar.

A man with a bicycle is walking down the street, a boy, a married couple.

A sign on the wall: "Olonets National Museum, "Secrets of the Forgotten Capital".

Pedestrians on the streets of the city.

A building with signs "hotelli", "Goose Capital Olonia 2001".

Two men are looking at domestic geese and discussing the upcoming "Goose Races".

Geese are grazing in the yard.

Vasily, the owner of geese named Lord and Bride, says that goose Lord will win the competition.

Kosulnikov Alexey - at the edge of the field, talks about the habits of migratory geese and who they belong to.

A woman with a plate of food calls a goose named Gosha.

Elena, the owner of the goose Gosha, talks about the communication of wild and domestic geese.

Yulia, the owner of the goose Gosha, holds the bird in her arms and talks about it.

A close-up of the goose's head.

Yulia and the goose run along the road, the goose flaps its wings, takes off above the road, lands and walks with its wings spread.

Elena and Yulia stroke the goose, holding the bird in their arms.

Elena, the owner of the goose Gosha, says that the goose will not be eaten after the competition, he will live.

Yulia, the owner of the goose Gosha, holds the bird in her arms and says that geese experience a feeling of love.

The men enter the gate of the house and catch a goose named Sonic in the yard, having caught the goose, they leave the gate carrying the bird in their arms.

A man places a goose on the road, a rope is tied to its neck, the goose tries to run and fly away, the man runs after the bird.

A man standing next to the goose says that the goose needs a break from training.

A man and a goose run along the road.

Igor and Dima - the owners of a goose named Sonic talk about the goose's name while holding the bird in their arms.

The goose moves its paws in the owner's arms.

Village children in the street.

Men walk away along the road carrying a goose in their arms.

A man with a camera takes a picture of a tractor.

Men in a field look at a map of the area on a table.

Oll Elresten from the Swedish branch of the World Wildlife Fund talks about the allocation of funds to local state farms to support the fields where geese and cows graze.

Oll Elresten and state farm workers walk along the road.

A tractor harrows a field, seagulls fly.

Nikolay Pitelin, director of the Ilyinsky state farm, talks about the help the state farm received from the Swedish branch of the World Wildlife Fund.

Two men are reading a poster-program of events for the 2001 Goose Races competition on the wall.

Balloons on ropes.

Residents are gathering in the square, people with umbrellas are standing in anticipation of the competition.

General view of the square and blue tents.

A monument to Lenin.

Girls in folk costumes are running down the street, snowflakes are flying by.

A flock of geese and a driver.

People are reading competition programs.

Geese with signs on their necks.

A man is adjusting the equipment on a goose.

A board with the inscription "Gusilizator".

Residents are looking at the board and talking about the goose they have bet on.

The man chooses the name of the goose he will bet on from the board.

The woman says that she has bet on goose number two.

A board with the numbers of the geese on the fence.

The judge announces the start of the competition into the microphone and lists the names of the birds participating in the race.

The owners stand with their birds at the starting line of the competition.

The owners urge the birds on and run after the geese along the asphalt.

A goose named Sonic finishes first.

A goose named Gosha accelerates well, takes off, but suddenly lands and stops, the owner pushes the goose to the finish line.

Yulia, the owner of the goose Gosha, holds the bird in her hands and talks about the past race.

The woman praises the goose Gosha.

The owners and their geese cross the final line of the race.

The owners, holding the geese in their hands, discuss.

The judge announces the winner of the competition, goose number twelve, named "Bride".

A view of a crowd of people in the square.

Photographers take pictures of the winners with geese in their hands.

Igor and Dima, the owners of a goose named Sonic, say that they will not eat the goose right away, only when the goose eats its prize, or they may keep the bird until the next competition.

A close-up of the goose's head, next to it is a bowl with the inscription "Sweet tooth".

A man with a goose in his arms gets into a Zhiguli car.

A flock of geese flies over a field.

Vladimir Zimin, an ornithologist, looks through a telescope and talks about the upcoming migration of geese to the tundra, to their homeland.

A girl looks through binoculars.

A string of birds is high in the sky.

The goose takes off above the road, lands and walks with its wings spread.

Igor and Dima, the owners of a goose named Sonic, adjust the equipment on the bird.

Three geese take off over the field.

Yulia, the owner of the goose Gosha, holds the bird in her arms.

A wedge of birds flies over the forest.

Geese fly against the backdrop of the setting sun.