Published: 15 June, 2007, 17:50
Edited: 15 June, 2007, 17:50
The stories of circus animals usually have a sad ending. Those that perform in the ring have been taken from their natural environment and have no way back. But the cubs who have recently been adopted by the Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow appear t
Animal trainers Olga and Viktor Kudriavtsev regard their charges as family. They call four-month-old bear Mickey their 10th child.
“First, we teach them to respond when their name is called, to come when you ask them to, and then to sit quietly. While the cub is young he is restless just like a child,” said Olga Kudriavtseva.
Two students brought the bear cub to the circus two weeks ago. They had bought him from poachers and planned to use him in photo sessions. But they quickly gave up the idea because it was impossible to keep the cub in a university dormitory.
The circus hopes that Mickey will have a better life with them. He is preparing for a career in the ring – for the next two years he will be taught using game play.
Vaska is a tiger cub. He will be the 15th tiger for the Bagdasarov family of trainers.
“It is impossible to force a tiger do tricks they do not do in nature. So we just make it look like a show,” Karina Bagdasarova said.
It would take half a year to see if the cub has any special talents. But at the moment, the only thing he's bothered with is getting along with another tiger cub.