Pack leader. A hermit scientist breeds wolves - movie stars - in the Rossony region
A hermit scientist
Beyond the village of Yukhovichi, where Dmitry lives, Russia begins immediately. He hurries to meet me in attire typical for these parts: sneakers, military camouflage, a warm sweater, a cap, and a waterproof jacket.
We rush along forest paths in Shаmovich's SUV, which is essential here, and after just 10 minutes, we reach the village of Sosnovy Bor, which has only three houses, one of them unfinished.
The owner rents out rooms in his large wooden house, which recently received official status as an agro-estate, to tourists. Guests come here from all over. Germans, French, English, renowned photographers, directors of documentary and feature films, journalists from world-famous TV channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, Animal Planet…
Currently, Dmitry observes capercaillies using radio transmitters. Ornithology has become his second passion, after wolves. Near his home, he has laid out an ecological trail for tourists, built several winter shelters for photographing rare birds (the forests are inhabited by eagles, capercaillies, black grouses, white-tailed eagles, and others), set up a so-called salt lick for elk, and a night camera for beavers. In short, it's a paradise for animals and foreign hunters.
Why did zoologist, Candidate of Biological Sciences Dmitry Shamovich settle in a хутор in the Rossony district? Not without reason. The forests on the border with Russia, he says, are an ideal place for scientific work. He is from Vitebsk, where he graduated from the Faculty of Biology of the State University. Then he studied at the postgraduate school of the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences in Minsk and two years later went to work at the Krasny Bor hunting farm to develop ecotourism.
"I live, in fact, in the middle of nowhere. But what's wrong with that? I have three in one - work, hobby, home. I spent ten years in these forests, and I have been living in the village of Sosnovy Bor for the eighth year. That's when I got my first wolves..."
Man's Best Friend?
Animals don't like to be photographed. That's a fact. But for many visiting tourists, wolves photographed in the landscapes of wildlife are the real heroes of photo albums. The dream of a photo hunter who has come to the blue-eyed country is to see and capture one of the representatives of the so-called Big Five of Belarusian fauna.
Dutch tourist and old friend of Dmitry Edo Geldof came to the Rossony region for two weeks to go on a photo hunt: "Your nature is amazing and magical. Last week, Dima and I were photographing birds for a Dutch scientific journal, and today we're going to "snap" elks in the Braslav district. And for "dessert," undoubtedly, wolves: I will need them for the booklet "Wildlife of Belarus." I saw some animals for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised."
It is understandable that the tourist is not obliged to know everything. All that is required of him is perseverance. And then, as they say, "any whim for your money." But how many are willing to be competent guides? Yes, gamekeepers are now trained in these tricks. They have the skills. But the passion? There are not so many professionals yet who are ready to guarantee the sighting of certain animals, analyzes Dmitry Shamovich:
- In addition to everything else, one must know a foreign language. Such people are undoubtedly available at the National Academy of Sciences. But the process is hindered by another nuance: one has to adapt to the tourist, which means having a flexible schedule. Therefore, Belarus, in essence, remains a blank spot for foreign fauna enthusiasts. I am sure that the English, Germans, and Dutch would gladly come to see wolves, rare bird species, and swamps here...
Wolves appeared at Shiamovich's about eight years ago. That's when he first moved to the Rossony region. Each wolf has its own story. For example, a friend hunter brought the first toothed one, still blind, directly from the forest. After living for several months in a specially equipped enclosure, the grey one completely stopped fearing people. One day it escaped, reached the neighboring village, and began exploring the farmsteads there. Naturally, the toothed one was shot.
Then there were five more wolves that he cared for while working as a zoologist at the "Krasny Bor" hunting farm. Due to their aggression, the animals were also shot. And today, in the enclosure located near his house, he has three grey ones living: the males Boy and Ter, and the young female Nika. He took each of them as a cub from the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, nursed them, and became their pack leader.
- The wolves have never shown aggression towards me. But wild pets must be kept under strict control. If you let your guard down, you lose your status as the leader, Dmitry assures. - In general, a wolf is an intelligent animal; it won't start a conflict itself. But people can be different: I remember a guest from Germany got carried away, walked far away, waving his camera, shouting, and the wolf followed him. It's still as vivid as if it happened yesterday... Just kidding! But believe me, the man was terrified when Boy bit him in a sensitive spot.
When Dmitry approaches the enclosure, the grey ones start pacing restlessly around the bars. Shiamovich lowers his hand onto the mesh, and the wolves begin to fight for the right to lick it. He is at the highest level of the hierarchy. And indeed, he is the pack leader.
Imagine, a pack of three wolves suddenly starts howling in unison and then falls silent just as simultaneously, as if someone turned off the sound. The enclosure becomes a concert hall, for which you have to pay an extra sum for a ticket. Dmitry recalls: on some days, it turned into a whole performance.
I was lucky too. To capture two rather random shots. While the handsome Ter was posing for us behind the enclosure fence, Boy was leisurely pacing in the foreground. These wolves, as I learned, were raised from blind age. And the first being they saw was a human. A wolf has a peculiarity – to imprint for life the one it sees upon opening its eyes. Today, they perceive Dmitry as their own, and his guests as similar to him.
These wolves are not dangerous to the villagers: the nearest village, Yukhovichi, is 4 kilometers away. The animals behave adequately, but it's better to stay alert. Dmitry has learned to read what a wolf is thinking by the slightest movements, its body "language." For example, if it lies on its back with its belly up, it means it's ready to obey, but if it bares its teeth, it's better not to approach!
- Wolves in Belarus are the most disenfranchised predators, - assures Dmitry. - The hunting season for them is always open. Take a pitchfork, kill one, get a reward! Some foresters earn money this way: they walk through the forests, find wolf dens, and turn in blind puppies one by one for slaughter.
And if you take a wolf cub home, be sure to register it with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection or with the interregional inspectorate for the protection of fauna and flora under the President of the Republic of Belarus.
Movie Stars
Since Dmitry Shamovich feeds his grey pets once a week (with meat), the wolves earn their own keep. How? Through fees from films and TV shows about nature and animals. These performers are already real stars, having played themselves in several films. They also watch their figure before filming: before a new movie role, they go on a diet. And yet, these performers will never come to "Listapad" and will not win the main Hollywood film award "Oscar", despite the fact that they already have several films to their credit. They took their first steps on screen when they were a few months old. In 7 years of filming, these seasoned actors have over a dozen films under their belt.
Often in episodic roles (sometimes the wolves are entrusted with leading roles too), the predators followed the commands of foreign directors as well. In 2012, for example, they starred in a film of Belarusian, German, Austrian, and American production. The next filming is in February.
Dmitry does not plan to increase the pack for now. But he can no longer imagine life without wolves. And the predators themselves don't look towards the forest – they definitely won't run away anywhere.
Comment
Gennady Gurlanov, Chief Specialist of the State Control Department for the Protection and Use of Lands of Flora and Fauna, Subsoil, and Specially Protected Territories of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection:
- In our region, wolves are kept for commercial purposes to attract tourists by the "Braslav Lakes" National Park (one individual), the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen in Dokshitsy (three individuals), and the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve on the territory of the Lepel Forestry (seven individuals). If you want to keep a wolf cub in your yard, you need to build an enclosure with an area of at least 20 square meters and a height of over 3 meters.
Stanislav Lobaty, "SB Belarus Today"