Irkutsk Zoo saves mistreated black leopard Tortik
The transformation of a black leopard from a feared predator to the nearly tame Tortik at Irkutsk Zoo.
Black leopards and black jaguars (often called black panthers) are quite rare animals. They are scarce in the wild and not found in every zoo. In the Irkutsk Zoo Gallery, a black panther named Talia arrived in spring 2022. The city was in awe of her beauty and grace. It seemed nothing could be more impressive, but this year, the zoo welcomed a black leopard named Tortik. His heartbreaking story was shared with IrCity journalist by the institution«s director Lyudmila Ivushkina.
“Trainer Shouted: ‘Please, Save Them’”
Tortik arrived at the Irkutsk Zoo Gallery in spring. His fate is unfortunate, like that of many other zoo residents. The predator was a performer in a show and traveled with a mobile private circus, experiencing constant stress. Last autumn, this leopard attacked a three-year-old boy in Angarsk, after which he was left nearly homeless and without documentation.
— We took the leopard on March 3. After he attacked a child under mysterious circumstances and law enforcement began investigations, the director of the mobile circus disowned the predator. In fact, the leopard didn«t even belong to him; he just registered the wild cat to get a license, and the owner of the animal attraction was a hired trainer. Besides the leopard, he had two pelicans, a crocodile, two pythons, and, it is said, an iguana. She didn»t survive until our intervention in this story, — reported Lyudmila Ivushkina.
After the law enforcement checks, the circus director went and deregistered all the animals under the hired trainer«s care. Because of this, the animals were left in a »suspended state,« meaning without registration in special tracking systems. From a legal perspective, this is unacceptable.
The circus where the panther attacked a three-year-old boy in Angarsk last year.
— Circus, agricultural, service, and any other animals, including those in zoos, must be registered in «Mercury.» This is needed to track their vaccinations, movements, and assess how dangerous they might be. They can only be removed from this registry when the animal is dead. But here, the veterinarians managed to simply take and cross out the leopard and the trainer«s other charges from all lists. It was as if they just disappeared, evaporated, — continues Lyudmila Ivushkina.
No one knew the fate of these unfortunate animals for four months — from November 2024 to February 2025. Until Lyudmila Ivushkina received a call from the assistant of that very trainer.
— He panicked and asked us for help. He said he was forced to live with the animals in a trailer on the territory of an industrial zone in Usolye-Sibirskoye (Irkutsk Oblast, Russia), the trainer had fled, and there was nothing to feed the animals, and they were about to freeze. He said: «Save them, take the animals.» We realized the situation was hopeless and asked for any documents at all. The assistant assured that the Usolye veterinary station was preparing them, they would be ready soon, — continues the interviewee.
Some time after this conversation, Ivushkina received a call from the trainer himself, who practically begged with tears in his voice to urgently take the animals.
— He shouted into the phone: «Lyudmila, please, save them urgently.» He explained that their electricity was cut off, and then the heating was gone. And this, mind you, was March 3, with a frost of -20°C (-4°F). The trainer said the animals were about to die from the cold. In such a situation, we couldn«t abandon them, so we rushed to Usolye and brought them all to us, — shares details Ivushkina.
The owners of the animals promised to bring the veterinary documents later, but of course, they never brought anything. It took about six months to restore them and «register» the leopard, pelicans, crocodile, and pythons at Irkutsk Zoo. The entire package of necessary certificates and permits was gathered bit by bit with the help of Rosselkhoznadzor (Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance).
Transporting Tortik from Usolye-Sibirskoye to Irkutsk Zoo during the urgent rescue operation.
“When He Left the Cage, He Had a Meltdown”
When the leopard arrived in Irkutsk, it turned out that this guy had problems beyond just documents. The young male was only 2.5 years old, and his psyche was so shaken that it raised serious concerns for the zoo gallery owners. Additionally, the predator had been raised incorrectly from childhood, he wasn«t prepared for circus performances, but they still dragged him into the arena. Hence the prolonged stress.
— He was disobedient and initially very nervous. Apparently, that«s why he attacked the child. Not because he was evil, but because he was under deep stress. He traveled from St. Petersburg across all of Russia; of course, it was hard for him. Plus strangers, that child who ended up near him in the cage. The leopard couldn»t handle his emotions, got scared, and attacked, — explains Lyudmila Ivushkina.
Tortik spent most of his life in cages, leading to prolonged stress and health issues.
On top of that, from November to February, the leopard sat in a closed dark box in a small trailer on an industrial zone territory. This worsened the predator«s condition.
— When we took him, we had to, as we say, «dope him up,» meaning pump him with sedatives so we could somehow transfer him to a cage, transport him to Irkutsk, and then calmly unload him at our place. Honestly, the drugs didn«t help much because as soon as he left the cage, he had a severe meltdown. As soon as he saw light, saw that the place was different and people were different, he panicked. We had a hard time with him, — admits the director of Irkutsk Zoo.
Veterinary examination showed that due to prolonged and deep stress, the leopard«s immune system was severely compromised. The poor animal»s entire body was covered in ulcers, and his fur wasn«t just falling out—it was shedding, leaving giant bald patches in its place.
Tortik at Irkutsk Zoo, adapting to new surroundings and learning to trust humans.
— All these eight months that Tortik has been with us, we«ve been fighting for his physical and mental health. Only recently has he started to look decent, begun to treat us normally, and even shows himself to other people; he doesn»t sit huddled in a corner but can walk around the enclosure. Before this, even the sight of a stranger would stupefy our new arrival, — says Lyudmila Ivushkina.
Now Tortik is ready to meet visitors at the zoo«s branch on »Fortuna.« However, for now in demo mode, meaning you can see him through glass »barred« with painter»s tape. All this is for the predator«s safety.
— We«re treating Tortik for glass phobia. He basically never saw or knew what glass is, so he doesn»t feel safe. We covered his enclosure with painter«s tape so he could look at people through these little grids and get used to society. Over several months, we»ve managed to achieve stable remission. Tortik doesn«t freeze up, doesn»t lunge at strangers, though before he could charge and smash his face bloody against the bars. Now he«s stable, — shares Lyudmila Ivushkina.
Tortik«s enclosure with a painter»s tape grid to help him feel secure and reduce anxiety.
“Victoria Became Tortik”
By the way, the new leopard«s name was originally different. He became Tortik only at Irkutsk Zoo. Before that, the predator was called Victoria…
— Yes, initially he was called Victoria because they bought him as a female. Later it turned out he wasn«t a female at all, and from Victoria he became Victor, then Victor shortened to Torik. We first called him Torik too, but then it somehow transformed into Tortik. We»ve already registered him that way in the documents. We believe that a name defines character, and we hope our wild cat will become kinder, sweeter, and a bit more festive. By the way, we«ve almost achieved that already, — not without pride, says Lyudmila Ivushkina.
Tortik has become much calmer and more affectionate after months of dedicated care.
There«s no more talk of any circus career for Tortik. Also, he certainly won»t participate in any photoshoots or showy performances. Tortik will live in a spacious enclosure at the branch on «Fortuna,» meet new visitors, but most importantly—he will always be safe.
— So the so-called man-eating panther now lives in our zoo, come see her, — laughs Lyudmila Ivushkina.
By the way, the pelicans, crocodile, and pythons are also fine; they live in the «House of Nature» on Baikalskaya. The birds adapted the fastest, and by the way, their documents were processed much quicker; the pythons are also doing great. The crocodile underwent surgery on its leg, and they miraculously managed to save it from amputation.
