Rusik was the first[1] Russian police sniffer cat in Stavropol, a city near the Caspian Sea. He made an important contribution in the search for hidden illegal cargoes of Sturgeon fish, an endangered species, and caviar.[2]
Rusik began his sniffing career when he first appeared at a police checkpoint in 2002. Following his adoption by the staff, Rusik demonstrated his ability to sniff out sturgeon-smugglers' stashes with accuracy. His talent for sniffing out poached fish soon found him taking over the job of the police's canine team member.[1]
Rusik died in the line of duty on 12 July 2003,[1] when he was hit by a car during an inspection, immediately after searching a bus.[3] He had apparently found smuggled sturgeon in the same car some time before, according to personnel at the police checkpoint.[1] Some local sources expressed their belief that Rusik was the object of a contract killing, but this is highly unlikely. Rusik was a siamese with only a year's service at the time of his death. He died a few weeks after Barsik, another police cat who was poisoned with a mouse.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Stall, S. (2007) 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines p.166. Quirk Books ISBN 1-59474-163-8 Retrieved January 2012
- ^ Choron, S., Choron, H. & Moore, A. (2007) Planet Cat: A CAT-alog p.127. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 0-618-81259-8 Retrieved January 2012
- ^ Allred, P.A. (2005) Cats' most wanted: the top 10 book of mysterious mousers, talented tabbies, and feline oddities p.55. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 1-57488-858-7 Retrieved January 2012
External links
edit- BBC News The purrfect crime fighter
- BBC News Fishy end for feline sleuth
- ABC News Curiosity kills sniffer cat: Rusik dies in line of duty