| Speaker of the Federation Council accepted a predator into the party The Indian lion Murphy, who lives in the St. Petersburg Zoo, was today “adopted” by the socio-political movement “Will of St. Petersburg,” the chairman of the political council of which is the chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, Sergei Mironov. The maintenance of his “adopted son” will cost his party 140 thousand rubles a year.
At the St. Petersburg Zoo, a RIA Novosti correspondent was told that in connection with the special event, the back wall of the lion’s cage was decorated with motifs depicting the desert.
Until the last moment, it was not known whether Sergei Mironov was going to go into the lion’s cage to give him, for example, a party card, but zoo employees noticed that it was unsafe.
Zoo collection curator Natalya Popova said that the “adoptable” lion Murphy was born at the city zoo on the Neva on October 22, 1990. He has a girlfriend - twelve-year-old lioness Jessica. She came to her chosen one in the summer of 1991 from the Berlin Zoo. This couple did not have any lion cubs. “Currently, we no longer expect offspring from them, since they are quite old, because lions live for 15-17 years,” noted Natalya Popova. Matriarchy reigns in the Leo family - Jessica often beats Murphy, and he cannot resist her, Ms. Popova noted.
Murphy is not the first zoo animal to have "foster parents." In 1998, the zoo developed an animal adoption program that is widespread in many countries around the world. The first on this list was the orangutan Ramon, then the “parents” of polar bears and pelicans, frogs and squirrels appeared. Their “parents” - organizations, circles of young naturalists, schools and ordinary citizens - not only often visit their adopted children, but also help them financially. Murphy has now also received financial support. He eats only once a day, and Tuesday is a fasting day for the king of beasts. Twice a week he eats 6 kg of meat, two days - rabbit meat (one rabbit weighing 4.5 kg), one day - 3 kg of fish (cod or pink salmon) and 1 day - a bucket of quails, which can be replaced for 2-3 hens or 80 chickens.
The “Will of St. Petersburg” movement promises to take care of Murphy and, at the solemn moment of finding his “child,” prepared a surprise: Murphy received a renovated house as a gift. In order for the predator to feel at home among the St. Petersburg fogs, the landscape of the distant homeland of his ancestors - India - is recreated in his cage.
Asiatic lions, unlike African lions, are very rare animals. In nature, they live only in the Indian reserve “Gir Forest”, where there are only 130 individuals left. Asiatic lions are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “TIME OF NEWS” based on materials from RIA Novosti |
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