Stray dogs in Russia are commuting to and from the city of Moscow on the underground train systems
These clever canines spend there days scavenging for food on the streets then commute back to the suburbs to spend there nights.
Experts who are analyzing these dogs say they work together to get off at the right stop and overtime learn to judge time on the train. They have also noticed the dogs choose the quietest carriages on the trains.
Scientists believe this amazing evolution begun after the collapse of the Soviet Union forcing industrial complexes to move from the city center into the suburbs.
Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, told The Sun: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city center, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway — to get to the center in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.”
He also mentions he has discovered the dogs playing while commuting. They jump onto the trains secondsbefore the doors are shut, “they do it for fun” he explains. The dogs are also learning how to wait for traffic lights and sneaky tactics to gain tasty foods says Dr. Poiarkov.
“They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.”
He also explains that to children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on the kid’s knees to gain sympathy
“Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists,” He concludes.
The Sun article gives a strong grounding in the scientific and human interest perspectives of this story. Because we are talking about animals and ‘homeless animals’ in particular, a strong sympathetic angle is vital to appeal to readers, although the scientific evidence and analysis conducted by the Sun and Dr. Poiarkov gives another interesting angle on the story reiterating its newsworthiness and appealing to a wider audience.
The link below will take you to the video of these canny canines in Moscow.
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