Yasha the Monkey Keeps Peace in Family Menagerie
Yevgeny and Natalya Kagramanov have been working 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 — side by side on weekends, weekdays, and on tour. In a small house, along with the owners, live the monkey Yakov, meerkats Lelik and Zhulik, poodles Richie, Max and Chizhik, hedgehog Tikhon and three more rats. The main instigators are the meerkats, and Yakov is the peacemaker. The story of the circus family is in this material from NGS.
«Taken When Very Ill»
Yevgeny and Natalya Kagramanov met in a circus studio. Both chose animal training as their main profession, got married 30 years ago, and have been working at the Novosibirsk Circus for the same amount of time. The main stars of their show are the ten-year-old monkey Yakov, the restless meerkats Lelik and Zhulik, who are only one year old, red poodles Richard, Max and Chizhik, as well as hedgehog Tikhon. There are also three rats who also had careers in the circus and are now retired.
Yakov is 10 years old, and has been living with the Kagramanov family for eight of those years. His breed is the Barbary macaque, or magot, a tailless monkey. This is the only monkey living 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 Kagramanova tells Yakov»s story. «There was nowhere to get tests done, we looked for options. We found a place, did all the tests, found out he had rickets, treated him. Then he went completely blind. We had surgery, replaced his lens, now he sees perfectly. And after that operation, he became very sociable and inquisitive.»
Due to the consequences of the illness, Yakov has a slight shortage in height and weight. The 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 taught to perform simple tasks and prepared to enter the circus arena. Everything happened in the form of play, and the macaque quickly became a real artist.
«First we taught him to walk, he didn»t use his hind legs. And to climb on various objects, so that muscle mass would grow,« Yevgeny Kagramanov describes the training process. »We didn«t offer him any complex tricks. He works more on an intellectual basis. Well, and everything he loves in nature: running, jumping, climbing — we use all that in work.»
In the house, he lives on the second floor, moves freely, there is no special control over him, he is independent. He comes down for lunch and to play with the other pets and circus colleagues.
«From food, he loves yogurt and other dairy products the most, that»s all he would eat. Doesn«t like bananas very much. Today he ate — don»t offer it to him for a week. He loves grapes, melon, mango,« says Natalya.
Meerkats-Circus Performers
Yakov loves to watch TV. And he is kept company by two brother meerkats Lelik and Zhulik. The names of these animals are telling. Despite their small size, meerkats can cause a big mess.
«It»s like two little raccoons, only in case of these mischiefs, it«s on a much larger scale. Climbing somewhere, scratching something, stealing something, eating what they shouldn»t. We have to constantly 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 that these animals are very social. They interact with people easily and friendly. They love to watch animal programs. And they hide when, for example, a cobra appears on the screen. They have a small enclosure, but they spend time in it only when the owners leave home on business. Otherwise — constantly free-ranging within the house. They also sleep where it«s convenient for them.
«They also work, perform in the circus. They run over objects, jump through rings, jump over barriers, do all this cheerfully, zestfully. Children really like it,» says Yevgeny Kagramanov.
Social Animals
Yakov, Lelik and Zhulik are best friends. The macaque immediately accepted the new acquaintances, now they spend a lot of time together, sometimes even sleep curled up. The diet of meerkats is specific. Specifically for them, the owners breed beetles, feeding Lelik and Zhulik with their larvae. However, this is more of a treat, as they contain a lot of protein and can upset the balance. Therefore, on the recommendation of veterinarians, 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 like to join in the general games. Richard is 13 years old, he is the oldest of the pets. Max is the middle one, and Chizhik is the youngest. And the most friendly.
«He loves all animals, licks everyone, plays with everyone. Richard, on the contrary, is like: »Don«t touch me, I»m lying here, I«m resting. Don»t come near me.« Well, Max can play, can growl, can live peacefully, can argue with everyone,» Natalya says about the habits of the red poodles.
«They Sleep With Us in the Same Bed»
The dogs cause the most trouble for the hedgehog Tikhon. He also has a telling name — he is the quietest of all the pets. He also has his own place in the enclosure, but he lives, like the others, freely. He is put in the cage only at night, so as not to irritate the dogs and not stomp around the house. Tikhon is not an ordinary Siberian hedgehog. This is a long-eared hedgehog, a species living in southern regions and countries. And he does not hibernate. Tikhon is also a circus artist and goes on tour with the rest of the company.
«We all go on tour together. They live with us in the hotel, travel with us in the same car, all free. They also sleep together in the same bed with us,» Yevgeny describes the touring routine.
All animals are kept by the Kagramanov family at their own expense. The main expenses are specific food for meerkats and regular medical check-ups. Examination and treatment are done at one clinic where there are doctors specializing in exotic animals.
«Stand Up for Each Other»
As for the law on keeping exotics at home, none of the species living in the circus family is banned. In winter, Yakov and the meerkats, as heat-loving animals, spend time in the house. And in summer, they go out for walks in the yard to the delight of local children.
«Neighbors, when they pass 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 at our place. The house is full,» says Yevgeny.
In everyday life, the animals have their own internal family hierarchy. The meerkats are the instigators and pranksters. They like to pin down the hedgehog and ride on him. Sometimes they «annoy» the dogs with their pestering, then the poodles start getting angry. In case of conflict, Yasha acts as the arbitrator.
«They stand up for each other. If some quarrel happens between the dogs and meerkats, Yasha runs up, breaks them up. Yasha is the protector of the meerkats, he immediately grabs them and runs away with them if he sees any threat,» the owners say.
Now the circus family is on a short vacation, everyone is resting at home. In the near future, the company is expecting long tours around the country — they are leaving for two months with the whole team.
Keeping exotic animals is not an easy task. But many Novosibirsk residents devote their lives to this. Recently we told about a Siberian woman who keeps a flock of budgerigars in a one-room apartment.
