SAKHA — A private circus troupe traversing through eastern Siberia lost their animal performers when the tour van went up in flames on the road, local police said.
The human artists managed to get out of the vehicle in time, but failed to rescue a snake and a lizard used in performances, a spokesman for the republic of Sakha's police department said Sunday.
He did not mention the reptiles' species or say whether the troupe, which hails from St. Petersburg, had any more animals left.
The van — which was taking the circus to a show in the city of Mirny, the capital of Russia's diamond mining industry — apparently went on fire due to faulty wiring, the spokesman said.
This is not the first time circus animals have met such fate in the Siberian republic. In 2011, a bus owned by a Ukrainian circus was torched, killing a bear and some pigeons. The arsonists were never caught.
In 2009, eight tigers and a lioness from a circus in Krasnodar suffocated in a tightly locked refrigerator transporting them to the regional capital Yakutsk, also for a performance that never took place.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
