Eight giraffes from Namibia arrive in Kazan
Eight giraffes from Namibia arrive in Kazan
18 September
On 17 September, eight calves – three males and five females – arrived in Kazan from Namibia. This is a truly unique event for Russia: no giraffes have been flown into the country for around 20 years, and the Kazan Zoological and Botanical Garden has become the ninth Russian zoo to house these animals – and the first in the country to welcome the Angolan subspecies. The group has been formed with a view to future breeding.
The transport of the animals was a large-scale international project. The calves were delivered on a charter flight by the Volga-Dnepr cargo airline aboard an Il-76 aircraft. Throughout the entire flight, specialists monitored the animals' condition and transport conditions. Upon arrival, the giraffes were housed in a specially equipped giraffe house and are currently under the supervision of the zoo staff.
According to the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, who was the first to meet the special flight on Tatarstan soil, the new inhabitants coped well with their first night: "It feels as if they have always been here.
The project was the result of cooperation between Russian and Namibian diplomats, as well as relevant ministries and agencies at both regional and federal levels. As Alexander Shavliashvili, Chairman of the Kazan Tourism Development Committee, noted, more than a hundred specialists were involved in the project: "Many of our diplomats in Namibia, relevant agencies in Moscow, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, and Rosselkhoznadzor embraced the idea. This is also a triumph of diplomacy… we have proved that relations are built on relationships. And with such a springboard, anything is possible in the future."
This initiative confirms that cooperation with African states is developing across a wide range of areas and can lead to more than just business agreements. It is projects like this that become a continuation of the dialogue, which is also supported within the framework of the International Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum" – a platform for open dialogue that brings together representatives of states, businesses, and the expert community.
Kazan now has eight more very tall reasons to continue this dialogue.
Photos: Alexander Kopulov
The transport of the animals was a large-scale international project. The calves were delivered on a charter flight by the Volga-Dnepr cargo airline aboard an Il-76 aircraft. Throughout the entire flight, specialists monitored the animals' condition and transport conditions. Upon arrival, the giraffes were housed in a specially equipped giraffe house and are currently under the supervision of the zoo staff.
According to the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, who was the first to meet the special flight on Tatarstan soil, the new inhabitants coped well with their first night: "It feels as if they have always been here.
The project was the result of cooperation between Russian and Namibian diplomats, as well as relevant ministries and agencies at both regional and federal levels. As Alexander Shavliashvili, Chairman of the Kazan Tourism Development Committee, noted, more than a hundred specialists were involved in the project: "Many of our diplomats in Namibia, relevant agencies in Moscow, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, and Rosselkhoznadzor embraced the idea. This is also a triumph of diplomacy… we have proved that relations are built on relationships. And with such a springboard, anything is possible in the future."
This initiative confirms that cooperation with African states is developing across a wide range of areas and can lead to more than just business agreements. It is projects like this that become a continuation of the dialogue, which is also supported within the framework of the International Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum" – a platform for open dialogue that brings together representatives of states, businesses, and the expert community.
Kazan now has eight more very tall reasons to continue this dialogue.
Photos: Alexander Kopulov