Malchik
![]() Compassion monument on a 2019 postage stamp of Russia | |
Species | Dog |
---|---|
Breed | Mongrel |
Sex | Male |
Born | c. 1996 Moscow, Russia |
Died | December 2001 Moscow, Russia |
Nation from | Russian |
Occupation | Station resident |
Known for | Popular resident at the Mendeleyevskaya station, stabbed to death by a railway commuter |
Appearance | Black |
Malchik (Russian: Мальчик, lit. 'Little Boy'; c. 1996 – December 2001) was a black mongrel stray dog living in Moscow, Russia. For about three years, Malchik lived at the Mendeleyevskaya station on the Moscow Metro. In 2001, he was killed when a 22-year-old woman, Yuliana Romanova, stabbed him with a kitchen knife.[1] The incident sparked a wave of public outrage regarding the treatment of animals, and, in 2007, a monument was erected in Malchik's honour at Mendeleyevskaya station.[2]
Life at Mendeleyevskaya station[]
Malchik was a black mongrel stray dog, who lived at the Mendeleyevskaya station for about three years.[3] He became a popular station "resident" among commuters and railway employers, who often brought him food,[1][4] and he often defended his territory against drunks and other dogs.[1]
Death[]
On a winter evening in December 2001,[5] 22-year-old Yuliana Romanova (Volkova) was passing through Mendeleyevska station with her pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier.[6] They encountered Malchik in a pedestrian underpass, and the stray dog barked at the pair.[1][7] One report holds that Romanova set her dog on the sleeping Malchik.[8][6] Romanova reached into her purse, removed a kitchen knife, and stabbed Malchik six times in the back, chest and stomach.[8] The dog died several minutes later.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/MendeleevskayaMoscow.jpg/250px-MendeleevskayaMoscow.jpg)
A shopkeeper from a nearby stall tried to prevent the attack, but Malchik died before the police and an ambulance arrived.[9] The woman was said to have fled the scene and there was no formal investigation initially.[9] However, Romanova was traced back as the killer by Irina Ozyornaya, an investigative reporter of the popular newspaper Izvestiya, who started writing articles about the incident, identifying Romanova as a young fashion model.[9] When contacted by the reporter, Romanova reportedly shrugged off the incident.[9] Later it was revealed that Romanova has a long history of cruelty to animals and psychiatric treatment.[10] After a year of campaigning, however, Romanova was arrested and tried, and underwent one year of psychiatric treatment.[1] The story of Malchik's death received widespread coverage in the Russian media.[4]
Monument[]
In February 2007, a monument entitled "Compassion"[2] (or "Sympathy";[8] Russian: Сочувствие) was erected at Mendeleyevskaya station.[4] The monument was funded by public donations.[4][11] It was erected on the night of 15/16 February 2007 and officially unveiled on 17 February.[2] A bronze sculpture of Malchik was placed on a monolithic pedestal of serpentine. Among the artists responsible for the monument were sculptor , artist , architect , and designer Peter Nalich.[2] The unveiling ceremony was attended by notable artists, many of whom had donated money for the monument's installation, including Andrey Makarevich, , Veniamin Smekhov, Oleg Anofriev, Ludmila Kasatkina and Sergey Yursky.[2] The Russian inscription on the monument reads " 'Compassion' is dedicated to humane relationships with homeless animals."[12] The monument has been cited as one of Moscow's most unusual tourist attractions.[13] As with other monuments in the Moscow metro stations,[14] passersby rub the monument's nose for good luck.[7]
Legacy[]
Joanna Bednarek wrote that Malchik's story typifies the "peculiar mix of cruelty and sentimentality present in our approach to domesticated animals, particularly dogs."[11] In 2019, the postal department of Russia released a postage stamp portraying the Compassion monument in the memory of Malchik.
See also[]
- Stray dogs in Moscow
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Susanne Sternthal (16 January 2010). "Moscow's stray dogs". The Financial Times. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "The unveiling of "Compassion" monument to stray pets". Moscow Metro Official Site. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ Dixon, Robyn (20 August 2020). "In Moscow, a woman devotes her life to saving dogs". Washington Post. Moscow: Washington Post. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Buckle, Jackie (2019). Monumental Tales: The fascinating stories behind the world's pet statues and memorials. Cambridge, UK: The Lutterworth Press. pp. 102–3. ISBN 978-0-7188-9545-7.
- ^ "Man brutally kills pregnant dog for no particular reasons". Pravda.ru. 19 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Russian top model brutally stabs mongrel dog in Moscow". 9 November 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Marquardt, Alex (19 March 2010). "Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System". ABC News. Moscow: ABC News. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "A group of Russian artists shocked with the young girl's brutality initiated the making of a monument to the killed dog". Pravda.ru. 9 November 2005. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "'Compassion', Moscow, Russia: A monument to Malchik, a stray dog who lived in a Moscow metro station until his tragic death". Atlas Obscura. AtlasObscura.com. n.d. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ Contrary to many news reports, Romanova was not a professional model: she made only one occasional shot with a Russian modeling agency "Art-Site"; see "Ну, подумаешь, собачку ножом пырнула" Archived 11 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bednarek, Joanna (2017). "The Oedipal animal? Companion species and becoming". In Gardner, Colin; MacCormack, Patricia (eds.). Deleuze and the Animal. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-1-4744-2273-4.
- ^ Caldwell, Melissa L. (2017). Living Faithfully in an Unjust World: Compassionate Care in Russia. Oakland, California: University of California Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-520-28584-2.
- ^ Satenstein, Liana (9 May 2016). "Hidden Caves, Cosmonauts Alley, and More: Moscow's Unexpected Attractions". Vogue. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Vedyashkin, Sergei (26 November 2020). "Stop Touching Metro Sculptures for Luck, Moscow Metro Urges Riders". Moscow Times. Moscow: Moscow Times. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- 2001 animal deaths
- Animal rights movement
- Dog monuments
- Individual animals in Russia
- Individual dogs
- Moscow Metro
- Deaths by stabbing in Russia