Biologists studying Moscow’s stray animal population claim dogs have learned to commute on the city’s complex subway system. It is believed this is just one of the many tactics they use to survive in the manmade wilderness. As many as 35,000 stray dogs live in Russia’s capital city. They can be found everywhere, from markets to construction sites and underground passageways, scavenging for something to eat. Numerous observations have been recorded of strays commuting from the suburbs to the city centre. They reach the city, search for food, then catch the train home in the evening.
It is such a common occurrence for a stray dog to travel on the underground metro in Moscow that passengers no longer bat an eyelid. Strays have even been observed obeying traffic lights and using a variety of techniques when hunting for food. Sometimes a pack will send out a smaller, “cuter” member apparently realising they will be more successful at begging than the bigger, “less attractive” counterparts.
Dr. Andrey Poyarkov, a biologist who has studied Moscow’s strays for 30 years, states "In Moscow there are all sorts of stray dogs, but there are no stupid dogs. What's most impressive about the subway dogs is their ability to deal with the Metro's loud noises and packed crowds, distractions that domesticated dogs often cannot handle.”
Despite all admiration for the strays and their survival skills, many Muscovites still see the tens of thousands of homeless dogs as a big problem. There have been sterilisation campaigns, and city dogcatchers manage to get some strays into pounds - but it's all had little effect on the overall stray population. A research graduate of Dr. Andrey Poyarkov believes Moscow's residents need to accept the dogs as a part of life in the city. "It's not really easy to completely move the dogs out of the streets," he says. "I guess we just have to learn how to live with them."
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