By Valerie Schulthies
Deseret News staff writer
Kisha balances on head of her trainer, Anatoly Kolodenko while Ludmila Kolodenko plays the violin at Peery Hotel
When you're on the road, one of the inevitable hassles is checking into and out of hotels. But Kisha, a 22-month-old Georgian silver bear
from the famed Moscow Circus, had no trouble at all Wednesday at the front desk of the Peery Hotel.
Kisha already knows 25 tricks, including winning over hotel personnel, as she proved when she arrived in Salt Lake City
as a public relations bear for the circus.
The circus will be in Salt Lake City for the first time April 5-9 as part of a U.S. tour, sponsored by Steven Leber
Production.
Kisha and her trainers, Anatoly and Ludmila Kolodenko, travel ahead of the troupe. Wednesday and Thursday they are visiting
Farnsworth Elementary School in West Valley for a program together with Hoggle Zoo personnel, performing at half-time of the Jazz-Celtics
game, doing interviews and visiting Primary Children's Medical Center.
Kisha was an orphan cub found in the Soviet Georgian wilderness when she was about a month old, said interpreter Yan
Merasov, who works for Steven Leber Productions.
The Kolodenkos began training the young bear almost immediately. But she's taught herself some of the tricks, such as
tightrope walking. "She just climbed out on the wires they had in the back of their house to hang clothes on," said
Merasov. He described Kisha as "supertalented," saying she'll eventually perform with the circus, but for now she's used strictly for promotions.
We've had animal rights activists protesting that act because there's no safety net," said Merasov."and we get here up in a pine tree
and she climbs up 100 feet with no problem. I've got a problem with animal rights activists."
He said that in the wilderness, bears live up to 35 years, compared with 50 in captivity. "Our tigers breed pretty well
in captivity."
Используются технологии
uCoz