The history of our dolphinarium has its beginning. The opening of the first dolphinarium… The first trainers, veterinaries, doctors, first animals, first performances…
We carry in the memory people and animals. A lot of Names, Fates, Lives were over the quarter-century period of demonstrational dolphinariums. Whoever works with animals now, we all have the same roots, passed the same way, the same life. A life of a man who devoted it to the hard work in dolphinarium. Hard, dirty (in the truest sense of the word), taking all time, energy work, unsuitable with normal life in the ordinary way, but giving joy, a joy of communication with animals and people.
On our web-site you may find the history of the first in Soviet Union military dolphinarium. This page is devoted to those who founded, opened, and worked in the first demonstrational dolphinarium. Who opened dolphinariums in Moscow, Sankt-Petersburg, Sochi, Kislovodsk. To all who pioneered this work. To those, who are still working with marine mammals in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Turkey, Vietnam, Argentine and all over the world. To all who are alive and already gone.
It’s impossible to tell about each man, animal, dolphinarium left marks in history during the quarter of century. There are only few photos most of which are amateur, because at that time we hardly thought to write a history of dolphinariums. We just lived and worked, communicated, got married, divorced, raised our families, laid to rest, cried and laughed. «The show must go on»…
The show must go on - it's always been the case. Even when Andrei Tchelyshev, one of the best trainers and founders of Gelendzhik Dolphinarium, died during tour in Santiago de Chile. On the day he died in September, 1991 all circus in Santiago observed a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of trainer devoted his life to the work with marine mammals in circus at first and then in dolphinarium. And even when Igor Belozerov, a leading trainer of pinnipeds, died in a car accident. There are no more Nikolay Kulikov, Igor Skvortsov, Vladimir Petrushin alive. We cherish their memory.
Now we live on different cities and countries. Vladimir Kalnebolotskiy, Alla Azovtseva, Andrey Kalganov, Vladimir Shekhovtsov, Vladimir Shapunov work in Ukraine. Yaroslav Polyakov and Vyacheslav Kalendin retired. But our show goes on. It has always been and will be the case.
Once upon a time… This is how all tales start. Our tale started long ago in Soviet times. A.N. Severtsov Institute of developmental morphology and zooecology of Academy of Science situated in Moscow then. The Institute studied marine mammals, the way they live, breath, sleep, see, and hear. Candidate of biological Science Lev Mukharamovich Mukhametov was a Vice-principal of the Institute. Notably that he made an amazing discovery- dolphins’ sleep is mono-hemispherical.
All researches were carried out on Utrish Marine station of USSR Academy of Sciences located on the Black Sea coast near Maly Utrish Cape.
Scientist worked, wrote articles and made discoveries. And once they thought that if it was possible to teach animals some skills while studying them, then they should show these skills and crafts to the general public. To all people who heard a lot about dolphins but had never seen.
In spring 1984 construction of the first Russian dolphinariums’ ancestor started on the Solenoe Lake nearby the Academy of Science on Maly Utrish. The small enterprise Utrishskiy Delphinariy was founded on extra-budgetary accounts on the base of USSR Academy of Science.
Everything was at first time. The first tribunes, enclosures for animals and berth were built. The berth of 76 meters was built by a crew of Novorossiysk Shipping Company. The construction was supplied by the crew of the vessel “Sheskharis” under the guidance of Master V.V. Kostenko and the first Mate P.I. Taranidi.
The first tribune for 300 persons was built by a brigade of staff members and students of Utrish Marine station under the guidance of Y.G. Polyakov, V.V. Popov. This brigade was called “Yarostny otryad” from the name of Yaroslav Georgievich.
Yaroslav Georgievich Polyakov worked as show presenter for many years, at first on the lake, then in many foreign tours all over the world, and finally in Moscow dolphinarium.
The first net enclosure for dolphins and two cages for pinnipeds were constructed under the guidance of L.M. Mukhametov, A.V. Abramov, V.V. Kalendin,
The first dolphins were brought from Sevastopol by V.V. Borshchev, V.V. Popov, V. V. Kalendin on August 3, 1984. They were three females – Fifa, Nessi and Lola. Y.I. Filatov brought pinnipeds – Johnny, Uno, Botsman – from circus.
Fur seals Lasta, Pirat, Grey were trained on Utrish Marine station by remarkable trainer A.A. Tchelyshev.
In the winter of 1983-84 the first vacancies of trainers were approved by Academu of Science for V.V. Kalendin and Y.G. Polyakov.
Other two vacancies were introduced for A.A. Tchelyshev and V.V. Shagaev in the winter of 1984-85.
The first show took place on the 25th of August, 1984.
200 tourists were transferred from Gelendzhik on board of the vessel “Sheskharis”. The opening speech was delivered by Professor A.Y. Supin, one the world most famous scientists dealing with marine mammals. Candidate of biological Sciences was given by V.V. Popov. And Y.G. Polyakov commented the very first performance where such trainers took part as V.V. Kalendin, Y.I. Filatov, A.A. Tchelyshev, A.V. Abramov.
These persons deserve to leave their marks in history. They were the first and the best. The created a unique direction uniting the science and the show, which had been demonstrated for many years in all dolphinariums belonging to the system of OOO “Utrishskiy delfinariy”.
All these people are worth to be called unique, legendary, and remarkable. Our remarkable and now legendary trainers, our legendary carrier uncle Vasya Borshchev who carried so many animals in so many places.
The Lake Solenoe.
In winter 1985-86 building continued. A new bridge, new tribunes were built, the vessel “Kometa” was brought where personnel could take a rest between shows and even live there.
Life in the country run its course and finally reached the period of Soviet Union reformation and break-up with empty shops, no electricity on streets, no medicine, no wages, when everything was in deficit. The Soviet Union collapsed. Our life collapsed. The science began to collapse. The country we lived in was renamed. And the new country didn’t need scientists. There were no wages and no financing of scientific researches. The show on the lake continued. But a new government took a decision to remove small enterprises of Academy of Science. That’s why in 1990 Lev Mukhametov registered small enterprise “Utrishskiy delfinariy” in order to feed animals, clear bills, simply keep alive and to continue scientific work. That’s how the first Russian demonstrational dolphinarium appeared and the history of all professional trainers working with marine mammals started.
Military dolphinariums were closing, trainers and veterinaries, as well as circus staff and scientists, came in the new dolphinarium. The work, tough and restless, without comfortable conditions, united all of them in a large family.
We have passed through life hardships, sometimes very painful and biter. We were and are responsible for all we bred, for animals and people, for our life and cause. We’ve been betrayed and praised, abused and supported… But we continued to move on and we do live now.
All professionals occupied in this area have shared past, shared alma mater.
“We”… such a short word contains so many bygones and passed.
“We” are. We will be. For many of us it was a support in hard times. Because we knew that there were people who would help, would not betray, would back and support.
We thank luck for this life.
Utrish marine station (on the right) Maly Utrish Cape in the distance.
