In
August in 1900 on the bank of the river Berezovka in the northeast of Siberia the hunter -
Even noticed the head of a mammoth prominent from the ground in tundra. It had
one tusk. Evens were afraid of mammoths, and considered them to bring illnesses and
misfortunes. The hunter called his comrades, and together they broke out the tusk
and went to the city Srednekolimsk to sell it. On the bazaar the tusk has purchased by
Russian cossack, who for a long time asked Even about the find and then asked to lead him
to this place. Evens have agreed unwillingly. Only in November cossack saw the body
of a huge animal having thew from frozen ground by his own eyes. Then he send
the official report about that to the heads, which has forwarded it in the Academy of Sciences.
In the beginning of the 1901 the expedition consisting of the Zoological museum
employees was sent from capital. A path to Kolima (and the river Berezovka is the inflow
of Kolima) was long. It was necessary to overcome thousand kilometers by train, ship,
carts, and then on horseback and on foot, and all this in hardest conditions. Only in
September the expedition arrived at the place and began work. A snow already
laid in tundra, and the workers had to construct a log hut above animal body to thaw under
the roof a frozen ground. And the find required that. It was the huge male of 50 years old
who died 44 thousand years ago. He was perfectly saved. The mammoth body was pulled out in
parts, and packed in dense leather sacks. In the beginning of November the work were
completed, and the expedition set out on a back journey.
So one of the most long and difficult expedition of the Academy of Sciences for the
research of mammoths was completed. For the first time there were soft tissues ( skin,
muscles, internal organs), wool and blood of the mammoth at the command of scientists. All
this was carefully investigated. And the skeleton of the primeval giant was mounted from
bones. In St. Petersburg the arrival of the mammoth caused the great sensation. The
zoological museum was besieged by the visitors. Even imperial family came to look on the
unusual find. Now the skeleton of this mammoth is kept in the museum of Zoological
institute in St. Petersburg.
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