Shelter Veronica

The life of a biology teacher from Kaluga, who has opened a rehabilitation center for animals in her school, in the project of the photographer Svetlana Tarasova

In the biology lesson, all attention is focused on the teacher. Veronica tells so enthusiastic that I also want to postpone the camera and listen to the protective color of insects, look at the pictures, trying to distinguish the mantis on the flower. The office is comfortable: the walls are decorated with pink flamingos, Japanese cranes near the pond and gold fish drawn by Veronica. Now she was retired 56, five years ago, but continues to teach.

Orlan-white-toed Luna Photo: Svetlana Tarasova

Veronica lives and works in Kaluga. Since childhood, she dreamed of helping animals, saved, treating. And when I went to work at school, she instilled the same attitude to the world around him and children. Twenty years ago, students began to bring animals to the school that needed help - this is how the Phoenix rehabilitation center appeared. Soon animals began to be brought here from all over the country.

At first, the animals were located in the office, and then they were taken away by the school attic.

The walls of the cabinet are decorated with pink flamingos, painted by Veronica photo: Svetlana Tarasova

Someone finds a temporary shelter of the house with Veronica and her husband Sergei: Belchata, Hedgehogs, Stork, Wolves, recently lived a moose, and now a roe deer or completely weakened has to take into the apartment, solder milk and sleep on the same bed to replace maternal heat.

Moon Swamp Jack Sparrow Photo: Svetlana Tarasova

When there were too many animals for the school premises, they were temporarily attached to the familiar family, an entrepreneur, but here there is no longer enough space, besides, the owner at any moment can ask the territory. There is a large abandoned area near the city, but the amount that is requested for it is too large. The center is contained only due to the earnings of Sergey and the teacher's salary of Veronica-volunteers who are ready to do some kind of work, for example, build an aviary or install an electric gear.

The polar wolves Yarik and Yarochka (Svetoyar and Yaroslavna) are greeted by Veronica and Sergey with joyful howl photos: Svetlana Tarasova

What will happen to the center further, how to resolve the issue with the territory - there is even no time to think about it. Every day it is painted from morning to late evening. I shot Veronica for several months, and often she had to endure the shooting, because unforeseen affairs happened.

Recently, in the center, Kamchatka bear Masha photo settled: Svetlana Tarasova

Veronica is a very open person with a good sense of humor, a strong, interesting and bright woman. I wrote to her because I had long wanted to make material about her activities; I like to shoot people with a strong character, the relationship of man and nature. This is very inspiring - besides, it is important for me that I am a little in love with the hero that I take off, and in the case of Veronica it was exactly so.

Veronika Matyushin. Five years ago, a biology teacher retired, but continues to teach photos: Svetlana Tarasova Schushulya, inquires. Disabled - Amputed the wing photo: Svetlana Tarasova Moon Swamp Jack Sparrow Photo: Svetlana Tarasova Orlan-white-toed Luna Photo: Svetlana Tarasova In a biology lesson photo: Svetlana Tarasova In the apartment of Veronica photo: Svetlana Tarasova Veronica feeds a moose with goat milk. It does not have lactose, which is not suitable for wild animals, but there is a lot of casein, which is well absorbed by the photo: Svetlana Tarasova Veronica’s apartment in the apartment. Constant inhabitants Hunter, Vilya and Losikha Mike, selected very weak on the side of the road in the forest photo: Svetlana Tarasova Raccoon Loskun Cupcake-lover of cookies photo: Svetlana Tarasova Veronica and her husband Sergey Photo: Svetlana Tarasova An abandoned area that Veronica dreams of equipping a photo to expand her shelter: Svetlana Tarasova Animals School