Rostov Zoo                   Rostov Circus                        St. Petersburg                        Russia   

Rostov Circus, Russia Report

October 19, 2017

Goal- To have a short visit and introduce all institution together

On October 19, 2017, we met with Dimitry Reznichenko, Director of the Rostov Circus. He was extremely kind and cooperative despite the fact he was very busy. What originally was a 15-20-minute conversation ended up lasting over three hours.

I found the staff extremely knowledgeable, caring and ahead of many zoos around the world in regard to basic husbandry techniques. All animals were kept on deep litter, mostly hay and sand. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the animals; we arrived on the day when they were housed in their transporting truck because they were heading to Krasnodar. However, as we walked over, the use of daily, large amounts of substrate was obvious due to all the leftovers being cleaned up.

The circus had trucks just for sand, hay and wooden floors that were sent ahead to cover the concrete and soften the surface wherever they traveled.

The director also showed his dog and cat rescue program. http://dogpatrolrostov.ru

This rescue program will help approximately 100,000 animals by catching, neutering and spaying them before they are released back to their original territories. This is done with hopes the population will decrease dramatically in the next few years. The circus (alongside with many Russian celebrities) spent a considerable amount of money to develop a shelter/clinic that is being built as we speak. The Rostov Circus is a leader among circuses with its knowledgeable staff, dedication to their animals and conservation techniques.

Also, the world trend of minimization or even gradual phasing out of wild animals from the circus programs was discussed. As per Dimitry, in their programs, there are practically no animals taken directly from the wild. They are mostly the second or third generation of circus actors. The share of wild animals in the circus programs is gradually being reduced as it has become more and more complicated to acquire a wild animal. The demand for the more humane treatment of animals dictates changes in the programs. Further, Dimitry supports the new Russian law of criminal prosecution for cruelty towards animals. A second visit would be desirable when I could view animals and how they are housed.  

I would like to thank the Rostov Circus Director and Staff for inviting me to improve their animals’ welfare. I would also like to thank Dr. Mary Lewis for funding this trip and to Andrei Gidkoff for establishing such a wonderful working relationship between the Jane Goodall Institute, the Phoenix Zoo and the Rostov Circus