Rusik
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Rusik was the first[1] Russian police sniffer cat in Stavropol, a city near the Caspian Sea. He made an important contribution in the search for hidden illegal cargoes of Sturgeon fish, an endangered species, and caviar.[2]
Rusik began his sniffing career when he first appeared at a police checkpoint in 2002. Following his adoption by the staff, Rusik demonstrated his ability to sniff out sturgeon-smugglers' stashes with accuracy. His talent for sniffing out poached fish soon found him taking over the job of the police's canine team member.[1]
Rusik died in the line of duty in June 2003,[3] when he was hit by a car during an inspection, immediately after searching a bus.[4] He had apparently found smuggled sturgeon in the same car some time before, according to personnel at the police checkpoint.[1] Some local sources expressed their belief that Rusik was the object of a contract killing, but this is highly unlikely[citation needed]. Rusik was a tabby with only a year's service at the time of his death.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Stall, S. (2007) 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines p.166. Quirk Books ISBN 1-59474-163-8 Retrieved January 2012
- ^ Choron, S., Choron, H. & Moore, A. (2007) Planet Cat: A CAT-alog p.127. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 0-618-81259-8 Retrieved January 2012
- ^ "Под колесами браконьеров" [Under the wheels of poachers]. Известия (in Russian). 11 July 2003.
- ^ Allred, P.A. (2005) Cats' most wanted: the top 10 book of mysterious mousers, talented tabbies, and feline oddities p.55. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 1-57488-858-7 Retrieved January 2012
- ^ "Кот Русик ловил не мышей, а браконьеров. И пал смертью храбрых" [Rusik the cat was hunting not mice but poachers. And died as a hero]. Комсомольская правда (in Russian).
External links
[edit]- BBC News The purrfect crime fighter
- BBC News Fishy end for feline sleuth
- ABC News Curiosity kills sniffer cat: Rusik dies in line of duty