MOSCOW. A Russian train conductor is facing widespread condemnation and calls for termination after throwing a pet cat off a train, believing it was a stray. The incident has sparked outrage across the country, with more than 300,000 people signing a petition demanding the conductor’s dismissal.
The white and ginger tom cat, named Twix, escaped from his carrier while on a train journey between Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg on January 11. The conductor, upon finding the cat, forcibly ejected him from the carriage while the train was stopped in the town of Kirov, east of Moscow.
In the aftermath, hundreds of volunteers braved sub-zero temperatures to search for Twix. Tragically, on January 20, over half a mile from the train tracks where he was left, Twix was found dead. Volunteers reported that the cat succumbed to the severe cold and showed signs of suspected animal bites.
The incident gained widespread attention on social media, with thousands expressing their outrage and sharing viral footage of the cat being thrown into the snow in temperatures as low as -22 Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius).
A separate petition, calling for criminal charges against the conductor, has garnered over 100,000 signatures since its publication on January 19. However, local authorities have not announced any plans for prosecuting the conductor, who remains unnamed.
Russian state train operator RZhD released a statement expressing regret over Twix’s death, pledging changes in how employees handle unaccompanied animals. The company stated on social media, “We sincerely regret the death of Twix the cat and apologize to his owners. To ensure similar incidents will not happen in the future, amendments are already being made to the documents used to transport pets on long-distance trains. Conductors will be prohibited from disembarking animals from carriages; instead, animals will be handed to station workers who can contact animal welfare groups.”
The incident has ignited a broader conversation about the treatment of animals and the responsibility of transportation authorities to ensure the well-being of pets during journeys. The public continues to push for accountability and justice for Twix, demanding consequences for the conductor involved.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
