May 14, 2021

Beastly Benefits


Beastly Benefits
Pensions aren't just for people anymore.  Photo by Golnar S. Rashidi via pexels.com

When the show can no longer go on, animal members of the Russian State Circus will now be given the opportunity to retire in style in cozy Crimea.

Recently, the Taigan Safari Park in Crimea has agreed to take on all retired circus animals from the Russian State Circus.  Some elephants have already packed their trunks and moved into their new facility, but the program hopes to take in other creatures soon. 

It's nice to see some change in the way Russian circuses are treating animals. Prior to this agreement, "retired" circus animals who were not able to be placed in zoos would remain in the custody of the circus, traveling along with their caretakers even though they themselves were no longer performing.

This should also hopefully allow more animals a chance to recuperate in a more suitable environment and climate

Although, if anyone's looking for a lion-tamer, we've got you covered.

You Might Also Like

A Southern City By the Sea
  • November 01, 2005

A Southern City By the Sea

Had the tide of history turned just a bit differently, Taganrog could have become Russia’s new capital instead of St. Petersburg. Take a visit to this sleepy southern town on the Sea of Azov.
The Magical World of the Russian Circus
  • January 01, 2004

The Magical World of the Russian Circus

It is the world's largest circus organization and one of its oldest. We asked a noted circus-phile to take us behind the flaps of Russia's Big Top, to look at the fascinating history of this 210-year-old institution.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955