The Zapashny circus dynasty began in 1882 and has been going on for three generations. Among them were acrobats, gymnasts and clowns. Today, trainers Askold and Edgar are showing off the posters of the Moscow circus. And a few decades ago, their father, Walter Mikhailovich Zapashny, the famous tamer of wild animals, shone in the arena.
early years
Walter's father got into the circus "from the street", a strong guy worked as a loader in the port and accidentally ended up in the room of the strong man Poddubny. Before marrying Lydia Karlovna, the daughter of a famous clown, Mikhail Sergeevich did not dream of an artistic career. When in 1928 the couple had a son, Walter, and ten years later, Mstislav, the head of the family could not imagine that he would soon be performing on the same stage with the children. The sons lived in Leningrad, and moved to their parents in Saratov in 1944. Only financial difficulties forced the boys to start a circus biography. They debuted with their mother when the eldest was barely sixteen, the youngest six. This is how the circus group "Zapashny Brothers" was born. Their acrobatic performances pleased Joseph Stalin.
Training
In 1960, Walter began working with animals. He had been preparing his first number with predators for three years, but it turned into a nightmare. When the tigress Bagheera attacked the trainer in the arena, the audience froze in fear. As a result of the fight, Zapashny received a spinal injury and dozens of lacerations. He recovered for two months, and then continued training. After a while, he found out that this was not the first time Bagheera attacked people, but did not let the animal be put to sleep. The tigress became the prima of the attraction and performed 64 tricks, she lived for 20 years and became everyone's favorite.
Over the years, Walter has become an unsurpassed master of training. What was the cost of the three harnessed predators and his crown number - to saddle the lion. When 38 predators appeared in the arena at one point, he felt like the king of the arena. His pupils took part in films: "Three plus two", "Dersu Uzala", "Ruslan and Lyudmila". Until the age of seventy, Zapashny went out to the audience and directed the circus, until his sons replaced him.
Personal life
The talented trainer has been married twice. With his first wife, they worked for a long time in the same arena, Maritza was from a circus dynasty. But the marriage did not last long. He met Tatyana Walter while undergoing rehabilitation after Bagira's bites. The age difference prevented the leggy beauty from making a decision. But when the future husband once appeared with a tiger on a leash on the threshold of the polytechnic college where the girl studied, she could not resist. True, they signed after the sons were born, their family experience was 33 years of great love.
Zapashny loved and pampered children. Good earnings allowed him to buy expensive toys and hire tutors. In Soviet times, he brought a computer from Riga for 5 thousand rubles. At work he was known as a strict and demanding person, and at home he was kindness itself.
Walter Zapashny lived a long, happy life. The title of People's Artist of Russia, numerous orders and certificates were highly appreciated for his work. He was remembered as a man who embodied many of his ideas and the most incredible ideas into reality. His only dream of opening an oceanarium for training marine animals, especially sharks, remained unfulfilled.
