The Fluffies of the Moscow Metro
previously published as “Anya of the Moscow Metro”
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Anya and her dog, Art, are up at about seven o’clock in the morning. As they reside at the Kievskaya station, she boards the morning train that departs for Koltsevaya Line. Despite the rush hour traffic, she’s finds herself comfortably walking across the forest of human legs and feet. And sometimes, when she’s bored, she can work up a brief conversation with a familiar face.
“Guud mornin’ nice whady!”
“Good morning Anya! Have Artyom and you had a good rest?”
“Fwuffy and guud boi hab guud sweepies, yus!”
Anya is well-known among the many commuters of this line. For Anya is one out of about an estimated two hundred stray fluffies who commute regularly on Moscow’s underground railway system.
Moscow has had a long history with stray fluffies. The product of Belyayev’s research into the creating a domestic horse that could be kept in urban homes and converse with their owners, the original “fancy dandy horses” (or dendies) were initially a popular fad in the late 19th century. However, they fell out of favour with the general public following the waning days of the Tsardom and during the Soviet period, populations of stray fluffies were further limited due to the Bolshevik practice of catching and culling stray animals. Then, and following Perestroika and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, their numbers started to flourish. In addition, the introduction of newer breeds from the West (thanks to the influence of companies like McBrega and Fluff’s R’ Us) has resulted in a more diverse population of stray fluffies on the streets of Russia, with the native Dendy remaining to be the majority. Currently, an estimated 35,000 stray fluffies live in Moscow, at roughly 84 fluffies per square mile.
One person who has been studying Moscow’s stray fluffies is Lyudmila Poyarkova. Lyudmilla was previously involved with the soviet programme in developing fluffies as pets, but shifted her focus to researching stray fluffies when the programme ended during the Era of Stagnation. To Poyarkov, the stray fluffies of Moscow are interesting because they occupy a unique niche that researchers are still trying to understand about the bio-engineered animal.
“Despite being created to living a wholly domesticated life dependent on humans, an unexpected atavism was encountered in fluffy genetics, especially when fluffy generations are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. For instance, in America, researchers have identified and documented the Campbell morph of the Mutagen breed of fluffies. These particular wild fluffies have become wary of human contact, and prefer to live in the wild.
But the stray fluffies of Moscow aren’t exactly like that. For instance, stray fluffies especially those of the Metro still maintain a variety of colours due to their appeal to the common commuter. In addition, while fluffies in the wild have to learn to fend for themselves and source for food on their own, as well as brave the elements, stray fluffies in the city have learnt to game the system. As food is abundant in the city, strays can ‘beg’ from food from passers-by, or scrounge among litter bins. It doesn’t help that food wastage is a problem in megalopolises like Moscow.”
But what about herds? After all, abandoned fluffies in both wild and urban settings have been observed to form herds.
“Even then,” as Poyarkova points out, ”There’s a difference. Whereas the typical smarty in a wild fluffy herd is usually the strongest and fittest, in a city there’s a bigger emphasis on maintaining hierarchies. Here, the leader is not necessarily the strongest or most dominant fluffy, but the most intelligent – the smartest. The herd depends on the smarty for its survival, and they acknowledge it. Unlike in the wild, urban fluffies rely on social interaction and hierarchies to obtain their resources.”
However, the Metro does not have such herds. “There’s a variety of explanations, but the easiest is that the presence of so many humans discourage fluffies from coming to the Metro as a group. Even if living on the Metro has its perks, the fluffies who have mastered the system understand that people prefer fluffies being in small numbers. As such, fluffies that inhabit the Metro usually live alone or, at most, in pairs.”
It is not an uncommon sight to see pregnant dams give birth on the Metro. One famous case happened last year when a well-known mare by the name of Sophia gave birth to a litter of five foals during a trip around the Circle Line. The incident was widely recorded by many commuters who were familiar with Sophia, and the event was even celebrated with fanfare. However, not long after giving birth, Sophia and her foals were brought to a nearby fluffy shelter where they were put up for adoption. As much as the Metro does celebrate its fluffies, they are committed to keeping their numbers limited.
Much like Sophia, Anya’s own story is unique. “Fwuffy nevar knu mummah ow daddeh,” she reminisces. Her earliest memories were as a foal on a train, suggesting that she was abandoned. Travelling alone for many months, things changed for Anya when she found an abandoned puppy during one trip. Licking its wounds, Anya adopted the puppy as a pet. In return, the dog has remained loyal to her, following her wherever she goes as well as barking at potential dangers. Indeed, when we first approached Anya, Art promptly growled and barked at us.
“Eezie dewe,” cooed Anya, as she stroked Art’s back. “Dis hummehs nu am bad, guud boi.”
Fluffies have been known to utilize trains for travel, and the existence of the fluffies on the Moscow metro have proved to be fertile for research. Despite their limited intelligence (when contrasted with humans), as sentient pets fluffies are able to learn new words. Thus, Metro fluffies have developed cues to know where to go, whether it is to get food, or meet specific friends at different times. The biggest mystery though has been how fluffies have been able to understand time on their journeys. While fluffies cannot perceive time beyond a few minutes, they are, much like humans and other pets, creatures of routine. Fluffies who have become accustomed to the Metro are able to identify when the rush hour happens, based on auditory and visual cues regarding approaching crowds, as well as the position of the sun.
The future of Moscow’s stray fluffies is uncertain. Despite having a steady population that does not burgeon outside of projected numbers, many Muscovites still see the tens of thousands of homeless fluffies as a big problem. Chapters of international organizations like the Association of Welfare for Fluffy Ponies (AWFP) maintain extensive sterilization campaigns, as well as constantly finding forever homes for these creatures. But according to Poyarkova, adoption as domestic pets may not necessarily be the answer.
“Because they have been accustomed to living a rough life on the streets, street fluffies are used to wandering about, as well as finding their own food instead of relying on an owner to feed them. Its why rehabilitated strays usually end up being adopted as community fluffies for certain buildings.”
In Anya’s case, she herself has been sterilized.
“Fwuffy nu can hab babbehs,” she admits. But Anya is not sad about that fact.
“Anya hab Awt. Awt am a guud boi, and fwuffy’s bestest fwen.”
As she says this, the intercom on the train blares out that the train has arrived at Taganskaya station.
“Ooh, dis am fwuffy stop! Fwuffy am gonna hab nice sketties hewe!”
After saying her goodbyes, both Anya and her dog Art depart from the train. Although ignored by most of the crowd, the occasional smile and greeting from a familiar commuter suggests that Anya is perfectly suited to her life as a fluffy on the Metro.
Barbara Devushkina is a travel writer living in Moscow.
