Sea-lion's vacation over - 26 September, 2002 - News

The sea-lion Mitya has returned home to the dolphinarium after spending his vacation at the St. Petersburg Zoo.

By the account of Yelena Popova of the Zoo's Information Department, Mitya did not feel like leaving the Zoo. Apparently, he got used to his open-air pool with saltwater and a closed water-supply system and did not want to get into the special car that had come to take him home.

According to Popova, everyone at the dolphinarium was glad to see Mitya "cheerful and even slightly fatter" after his vacation. Now that his holiday is over, the sea-lion is ready to commence on his usual working routine at the dolphinarium, where spectators will soon be able to see his performances.

Mitya was born at the circus of Rostov-on-Don in 1999 and takes part in dolphinarium performances at St. Petersburg's Spartak swimming pool since 2001. It is an old tradition with the dolphinarium to take their "actors" out for holidays. This year, some of them spent the summer at Solovetsk Islands, while Mitya lived at the Zoo.