Rusik

Rusik was the first[1] 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.[2]

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.[1]

Rusik died in the line of duty on 12 July 2003,[1] when he was hit by a mafia owned car during an inspection.[3] He had apparently found smuggled sturgeon in the same car some time before, according to personnel at the police checkpoint.[1] 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.