Tito, the Artist

Just as Evgeniy Baranov, director of the Baikal Seal Aquarium, steps over the threshold of the auditorium, two dark shadows glide right above the very bottom from the far end of a long pool. Two smart muzzles come up and touch his palms. “Hello, my dears!”

Tito and Nessie are Baikal seals. Tito was named after the first space tourist, and Nessie, after the mysterious inhabitant of the well-known lake. Five days a week, several times a day the seals give amazing performances, stunning the audience with their abilities. They can do a lot of things. For example, a visitor can ask a seal how much is two and three. And the clever animal will eagerly slap the water five times, splashing the inquirer wet. They can neatly salute the show host, like dashing soldiers on parade. They can hilariously imitate starvation by flapping their supposedly empty stomachs with their flippers, which is immediately followed by a piece of fish.

More information on these and other subjects you can find in the printed version of our journal.