Zoo's animal antics take off

A chimpanzee cleans windows with a rag, while a Himalayan white claw bear dances and does gongfu-style tricks with a stick.

It's just another day at Royev Ruchey Zoo in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk in Russia.

The zoo, one of the five most-visited in the country, has a programme where wild animals are trained for research, education and interaction with visitors.

This 11/2-year-old great grey owl named Mykh, which has been trained to fly through windows, has become so comfortable with the zookeepers that it will perch quietly on their shoulders during walks in the countryside.

Anfisa, the chimp who enjoys window-cleaning, learnt the chore from watching the staff at work.

"She copes perfectly with this task and she does not ask for money - but we give her more fruits for her work," a zookeeper told The Siberian Times.

The zoo has just under 7,000 animals from 700 species.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 19, 2017, with the headline Zoo's animal antics take off. Subscribe