russia

Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This week's spotlight goes to Umora, the wild sable! 

Umora was saved from a farm intended to kill and turn her fur into articles of clothing. She was saved by Zhenya, a Russian woman, who happened to find a picture of a wild sable online and feel immediately in love with the animal. She knew she had to save it. When Zhenya discovered there was an opportunity to buy the sable out of the fur farm, she jumped on the chance. 

And while Umora did come from a traumatic background, living on that fur farm, she's slowly overcoming her fear. 

According to Zhenya, Umora is often quite emotional, and even a tad hysterical, due to her life in the fur farm. Umora is also very clever and active, and she will steal your stuff -- because stealing is fun! 

And with time and patience, Zhenya and Umora are living life to the fullest. You can follow their adventure on Instagram!

A clip first shared on November 7 that shows South African rugby fans playing "fetch" with a beluga whale was quick to capture the hearts of many, but it also raised questions and speculation about the mammal and its nature. Science writer @ferrisjabr shared some additional context and background, arguing that the whale is "likely Hvaldimir, a once captive whale who may have escaped a Russian military program."

The beluga whale was discovered by fishermen off the island of Ingøya in Norway and It is believed that the whale escaped a Russian naval base in the region. Inside the harness, which has now been removed from the whale, was a Go-Pro camera with the words "Equipment of St. Petersburg". Marine experts believe the whale was trained by the Russian navy as part of a programme to use underwater mammals as a special ops force. The fisherman said the whale was very tame and seemed used to human beings: "We were going to put out nets when we saw a whale swimming between the boats," fisherman Joar Hesten told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "It came over to us, and as it approached, we saw that it had some sort of harness on it."

Aleksei Krotov, a vet in Rostov-on-Don, has always dreamed of having a raccoon. When he opened his clinic, he and his wife adopted Yasha, who was found in a very bad condition. After living at their home for a while, he brought her to the clinic. The doctor quickly noticed that Yasha had a real talent for reassuring stressed and sick dogs that came to the clinic to receive treatment. On the other hand, the cats didn't seem to be the biggest fans. The raccoon quickly earned herself a reputation, and now, people come to the clinic just to cuddle and pose with her. She's truly become a local celebrity. For more, follow her page on instagram. 

Authorities in the Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya have declared a state of emergency after more than 50 polar bears were spotted in the region.

It was an unusual job advert. Wanted: Cat chief. Location: Zelenogradsk, Russia: Duties: Tending to the town's approximately 70 stray cats. Some 80 applicants applied for the new role with the municipality in the small Kaliningrad town, which has also erected a cat statue and added a feline to its emblem in a bid to rebrand itself as Russia's foremost cat-loving community.

Erika Tcogoeva, a photographer from St. Petersburg, Russia, is a big husky lover. On her instagram page, she shares photos that show the  incredible connection she has with these beautiful dogs and now we all can get a good portion of Husky-cuteness. 

If you aren't aware, the origin of Babushka is actually a headscarf tied under the chin, typical of those worn by Polish and Russian women, but it can also mean grandmother or old lady in Russian or Polish. So, enough of the history lesson. Lets get back to adorable dogs wearing these scarfs and looking like a Babushka! 

Prima ballerina from Russia, Anna Pavlova, lived from 1881 to 1931. She was famous in the 19^th and 20^th century. Mostly known for her work as a principal artist during the times of Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, she was most popular and gained worldwide accolades for her work in The Dying Swan. Her work which she started with her own company. She was also the first ballerina for touring all over the world.

In 1912, Anna Pavlova started staying in Ivy House in Hampstead Heath of London. She decorated her ornamental lake with swans. Only right since her largest ballet was called the Dying Swan. However, from all the swans present there, she had a very close bonding with one of the swans named Jack. A lot of the times, Jack was photographed with Anna during press conferences and it just showed the strong friendship the two shared. Just take a look!

h/t: TheMindCircle

Look at these adorable playful month old fox cubs! Photographer Igor Shpilenok captured the heartwarming scene in Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka - a remote peninsula in the far east of Russia.

Russian photographer Olga Barantseva captured these incredible shots of Russian family playing with a giant brown bear. The images look straight out of a fairytale, showing a softer side to the big predator. As part of an anti-hunting campaign, the extraordinary photos are meant to "show the natural harmony between humans and bears," according to Barantseva. The bear, named Stepan, weighs more than 1,400 pounds and stands at a height of over 7 feet, but he is completely docile and willing to pose with his human collaborators. Stepan was rescued from hunters as a cub by his owner, professional circus trainer Yury Panteleenko. The bear was raised to be people-friendly, and has played roles in over 20 Russian films.

The kind hearted cat welcomed them with open paws

this is not a helpful translation, google.
Meet Cat Translations, the new treasure by Tumblr - an archive of hilarious, LOLCat-styled pictures from Russia with hilarious something's-been-lost-in-translation captions (based on google translator's suggestions). We've picked some of the best so far.