Siberian Circus Family Lives with Macaque, Meerkats, and More

Yevgeny and Natalya Kagarmanova have worked in the circus for 30 years. The married couple are animal trainers. Their pets, with whom they perform in the ring, live with them. The circus family never parts ways — side by side on weekends, workdays, and on tour. In a small house with their owners live macaque Yakov, meerkats Lelik and Zhulik, poodles Richie, Max, and Chizhik, hedgehog Tikhon, and three more rats. The main instigators are the meerkats, while Yakov is the peacemaker. The story of the circus family is from our colleagues at NGS.

‘Took Him When He Was Very Sick’

Yevgeny and Natalya Kagarmanova met in a circus studio. Both chose animal training as their main profession, got married 30 years ago, and have worked at the Novosibirsk Circus for the same amount of time. The stars of their show are ten-year-old macaque Yakov, restless one-year-old meerkats Lelik and Zhulik, red poodles Richard, Max, and Chizhik, as well as hedgehog Tikhon. There are also three rats who made a career in the circus and are now retired.

Yakov is 10 years old, and he has lived with the Kagarmanov family for eight of those years. His breed is the magot, or Barbary macaque, a tailless macaque. This is the only monkey that lives in the wild in Europe, specifically in Gibraltar. Eight years ago, they bought him from previous owners when he was sick and weak.

‘When we took him, we started noticing that his teeth were falling out. We went to doctors, couldn’t find the cause for a long time,’ Natalya Kagarmanova recounts Yakov’s story. ‘There was nowhere to get tests done, we looked for options. We found a place, did all the tests, and found out he had rickets, so we treated him. Then he went completely blind. We had surgery, replaced his lens, and now he sees perfectly. And after that surgery, he became very sociable and curious.’

Due to the aftermath of the illness, Yakov is slightly underweight and short. His owners feed him necessary vitamins and conduct regular medical check-ups. Today in Novosibirsk, there are clinics that provide care for exotic animals.

Gradually, Yasha was trained to perform simple tasks and prepared to enter the circus arena. Everything happened in the form of play, and the macaque quickly became a true performer.

‘First, we taught him to walk; he didn’t use his hind legs. And to climb on various objects to build muscle mass,’ Yevgeny Kagarmanov describes the training process. ‘We don’t offer him any complex tricks. He works more on an intellectual basis. And everything he loves in nature: running, jumping, climbing — we use all that in the act.’

In the house, he lives on the second floor, moves freely, there’s no special supervision over him, he’s independent. He comes down for lunch and to play with the other pets and circus colleagues.

‘Food-wise, he loves yogurt and other dairy products the most; he’d eat only that if he could. He doesn’t like bananas very much. If he eats some today, don’t offer it to him for a week. He loves grapes, melon, mango,’ says Natalya.

Circus Meerkats

Yakov loves watching TV. And he’s joined by two brother meerkats, Lelik and Zhulik. The names of these animals are telling. Despite their small size, meerkats can create a big mess.

‘It’s like two little raccoons, only in the case of these mischiefs — it’s on a much larger scale. Getting into somewhere, scratching something, stealing something, eating what they shouldn’t. We constantly have to watch so they don’t harm themselves,’ the owner says.

The meerkats were born last spring — they are the youngest members of the family. Yevgeny says these animals are very social. They interact with people easily and friendly. They love watching animal programs. And they hide when, for example, a cobra appears on screen. They have a small enclosure, but they only spend time there when the owners leave the house on errands. Otherwise, they are constantly free-roaming within the house. They also sleep wherever it’s convenient for them.

‘They also work, perform in the circus. They run over objects, jump through hoops, jump over barriers, all done cheerfully, with enthusiasm. Kids really like it,’ says Yevgeny Kagarmanov.

Social Animals

Yakov, Lelik, and Zhulik are best friends. The macaque immediately accepted the new acquaintances, and now they spend a lot of time together, sometimes even sleeping curled up. The meerkats’ diet is specific. Specifically for them, the owners breed beetles, feeding Lelik and Zhulik with the larvae. However, this is more of a treat, as they contain a lot of protein and can disrupt the balance. Therefore, on veterinarians’ recommendation, the meerkats eat special cat food.

‘Meerkats, they are closer to cats; their name even translates as “almost cat.” Only in nature, they eat scorpions. And their intelligence is somewhere between a cat and a dog. They are such developed animals,’ says Yevgeny.

The three red poodles also love to join in the general games. Richard is 13 years old, he’s the oldest of the pets. Max is the middle one, and Chizhik is the youngest. And the friendliest.

‘He loves all animals, licks everyone, plays with everyone. Richard is the opposite: “Don’t touch me, I’m lying here, I’m resting. Don’t come near me.” Well, and Max can play, can growl, can live peacefully, can argue with everyone,’ Natalya describes the habits of the red poodles.

‘They Sleep with Us in the Same Bed’

The dogs cause the most trouble for hedgehog Tikhon. His name is also telling — he’s the quietest of all the pets. He also has his own spot in the enclosure, but he lives, like the others, freely. He’s only put in a cage at night so he doesn’t irritate the dogs or stomp around the house. Tikhon is not an ordinary Siberian hedgehog. He is a long-eared hedgehog, a species living in southern regions and countries. And he doesn’t hibernate. Tikhon is also a circus performer and goes on tour with the rest of the company.

‘We all go on tour together. They live with us in the hotel, ride with us in the same car, all free. They also sleep together in the same bed with us,’ Yevgeny describes the touring routine.

The Kagarmanov family supports all the animals at their own expense. The main expenses are specific food for the meerkats and regular medical check-ups. The pets undergo examinations and treatment at one clinic where there are doctors specializing in exotic animals.

‘They Have Each Other’s Backs’

As for the law on keeping exotic animals at home, none of the species living in the circus family are banned. In winter, Yakov and the meerkats, being heat-loving, stay in the house. And in summer, they go out to the yard to the delight of local kids.

‘Neighbors, when they walk by, always look at the window and wave to Yasha, Lelik, and Zhulik when they sit on the windowsill, counting birds. In summer, children come, all the kids are constantly here. The house is full,’ says Yevgeny.

In daily life, the animals have their own family hierarchy. The meerkats are the instigators and pranksters. They like to corner the hedgehog and ride on him. Sometimes they ‘harass’ the dogs with their pestering, then the poodles get angry. In case of conflict, Yasha acts as the arbiter.

‘They have each other’s backs. If some quarrel happens between the dogs and the meerkats, Yasha runs up and separates them. Yasha is the meerkats’ protector; he grabs them and runs away with them if he sees any threat,’ the owners say.

Now the circus family is on a short vacation, all resting at home. Soon, the company is expecting long tours across the country — they will leave for two months with the whole troupe.