What is "rusik"

Rusik was the first Russian police sniffer cat at Stavropol near the Caspian sea. He made an important contribution in the search for hidden illegal cargoes of Sturgeon fish, an endangered species, and caviar.

Rusik began his crime-fighting career when he appeared at the police checkpoint in 2002. Following his adoption by the staff, Rusik demonstrated his ability to sniff out sturgeon-smugglers' stashes with astonishing accuracy. His talent for sniffing out poached fish soon found him taking over the job of the police's canine team member.

Rusik died in the line of duty on 12 July 2003, when he was hit by a mafia owned car during an inspection. He had apparently found smuggled sturgeon in the same car some time before, according to personnel at the police checkpoint. Some local sources expressed their belief that Rusik was the object of a contract killing, but the truth is still unclear. Rusik was a siamese with only a year's service. He died a few weeks after Barsik, another police cat who was poisoned with a mouse.