Seals Wear Military Outfit To Commemorate VE Day, Navy Seals Take On A Literal Meaning

A pair of seals joined the entire Russian nation in the annual celebration of Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day, on May 8. This year, 2015, two seals staged a show wearing military outfits and holding toy weapons while performing tricks in the water.

The Baikal seals, named Winnie the Pooh and Laska, are from Irkutsk’s aquarium located in the Siberian town. The show featured them wearing military headgear and shooting on targets placed in the aquarium.

The pair was trained to do these stunts to show off during Russia’s big day. They’ve been trained to swim while marching underwater and carrying rifles as part of the show. In addition, they were also taught various tricks such as drawing, singing,and playing with ball, reported Siberian Times.

The aquarium director said in an ITV news report that the most challenging part was to make the animals agree to wearing a hat. The director also said that the show was held in honour of those who served in WW2, which included animals.

Siberian Times reports that the seals are placed in an aquarium with conditions that resemble their wild habitat. They stay in 2-3-degrees Celsius aquariums much like the temperature in Lake Baikal. They also eat the same food they eat when in the wild.

Evgeniy Baranov, founder of the first seal circus in the world, told Siberian Times that the new show is an improvement of the tricks that the seals have learned previously and that these animals get better with practise. Baranov said he has worked with seals for more than 25 years and thought they are smarter than dolphins.

VE Day commemorates Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany, and the events were celebrated in all of Russia. This year, the parade was held on Red Square in Moscow, with 16,500 participating troops. The troops that paraded at the event include Siberian, Mongolian and Chinese units.

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