TUZIK GOES TO THE SKY

A pet cemetery with a crematorium, columbarium, and a gazebo for scattering ashes will appear soon in Tomsk. The opening is scheduled for June. One hectare of land was allocated for the cemetery by the authorities of the Tomsk region. Now the crematorium is already operating and several people have already reserved a place in the cemetery to bury the ashes of their cat or dog with dignity.

Alexander Shestakov and his wife are professional dog handlers. Now they have two shepherd dogs living at home: one continues to serve at the checkpoint of a security enterprise, the other is already retired. Another dog, who served with Alexander in the police for 8 years, died two months ago.

“She died in the cold season, maybe if it had been warm, such a thought would not have come to mind - to be cremated and buried in a cemetery,” says Alexander Shestakov. “But since this dog was close to me, I couldn’t send it to the trash heap or throw it in a trash can, and it’s a bit difficult to dig into the ground, now it’s still frozen.”

The Shestakovs' shepherd dog Lira was cremated. This service can now be used at a pet cemetery under construction. When the cemetery opens, Lyra's ashes will be buried in the Walk of Fame. Alexander has already decided what to write on the tombstone.

“A true professional, a good friend. And just a favorite."

In the photo: a pet cemetery under construction in Tomsk

There was no opportunity to bury a pet in Tomsk. The alternative in winter was a garbage can, in summer, at best, a forest belt or your own summer cottage. However, Russian legislation prohibits burying animals in the ground. They can only be cremated. So the cremator was the first thing to work at the cemetery.

“The cremator has been operating for almost two years. - says Natalya Suslova, director of the ZOO MEMORI company. “During this time, we also had unusual cremations. For example, an opossum was cremated, or once we cremated a sea turtle, it was an individual cremation, the turtle was put in a box for a bracelet and they even asked for a photo report. Yes, people even want to cremate such animals.”

Columbar cells have already appeared in the cemetery. A place here costs 5 thousand rubles, plus subsequent rent - presumably a thousand rubles a year. But there will be an opportunity to bury the urn with ashes in a grave.

“Sometimes there are 5-7 evacuations of dead animals a day; for such a small city, compared to Moscow and St. Petersburg, this is not so little,” says Natalya Suslova. “This is cremation, and out of five or seven, I think there will be only one burial at best.” In Russia, there are pet cemeteries in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Omsk. Tomskoye will be the fifth. Although there was already a pet cemetery between Tomsk and the satellite town of Seversk. But it arose spontaneously.

“Several years ago, the administration of Seversk asked to remove this cemetery because it was illegal,” says Seversk resident Olesya Kovalenko. “We asked all the owners of these animals, there was an announcement that they would dig up their animals and take them for cremation.” Olesya Kovalenko’s beloved cat also recently died. She cremated her, and the urn with her ashes is still at home. Some clients leave ashes at the ZooMemory service center. When the snow finally melts, landscaping work will resume and the cemetery will open.

A story from the Rush Hour program about a spontaneous cemetery near Seversk, August 2011.

In the photo: cemetery in St. Petersburg.

For reference: The world's oldest pet cemetery was opened more than 115 years ago. This happened in the northwestern suburb of Paris, the city of Asnieres-sur-Seine back in 1899. History says that the creation of the cemetery was preceded by a law in 1898, which prohibited Parisians from burying their pets anywhere. However, judging by the very impressive tombstones, the rich French did not have to be persuaded to comply with this law twice - many animals in the cemetery were buried with almost royal honors.

In the photo: a cemetery in Paris.

Tags: Tomsk, Tomsk region, pet cemetery, “ZOO MEMORI”

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