Nerpinarium

 On 1st of June, 2004, on the day of Children’s protection the first and unique seal aquarium was opened. It is similar to the widely spread dolphin aquariums, but it represents the endemic of Lake Baikal. Baikal seals are the unique sweet water animals in the family of fur-seals. This species live only in Baikal.
Irkutsk seals live in a roomy swimming pool, where water is always filtered and cooled, the volume of it is about 40 m². The members of seal aquarium's stuff worked hard to make conditions for the living of seals more natural. As a result, seals got to feel at home very quickly.
  There are four seals at the seal aquarium now. Two of them are 5 year old. The boy’s name is Titto, the girl is named Nessy, after the name of a monster in Great Britain. Baikal seals are very smart. They have the same abilities as dolphins, but training them is a much more difficult task. Now they can count and do some sums. Moreover, seals are creative, they can even dance rock-n-rol, lambada, their waltzing is wonderful! These animals even understand and take commands on three different languages: Russian, English and German.
Not long ago two more Baikal seal-calves were brought to Irkutsk seals aquarium. Their names are Drop and Winnie the Pooh. They will be taught by their “big brothers”.
  Not so long ago a member of seals’ team, Titto, became an artist. Though he is only a beginner, specialists suppose that in the nearest future he’ll become an outstanding abstract artist. Some of his pictures are hanging in the seal aquarium hall. If looking at them attentively, it’s possible to recognize the dolphins, mysterious fish or even a dancing pair.
It’s also possible to buy the “masterpieces”, some of Titto's pictures already decorate the flats of the Irkutsk citizens. The workers of the seal aquarium plan to organize a little exhibition of Titto’s pictures.
  It is very interesting to know that seals can hypnotize visitors of the seal aquarium! Once, a worker of the aquarium fed the animals as usual and one of the seals had hypnotized him. The worker had given the whole reserve of fish to the animal and than he couldn’t even recall how he had done it.
  One more important thing to know is that none of visitors were in the bad mood after the performance. Moreover, it isn’t even impossible to be in the bad mood looking at kisses of two seals, at their funny movements under water. It is really hard not to burst out laughing!