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Faculty of Animal Science is one of the oldest faculties of the University. Its history goes back to 1865 when the animal husbandry section was established as a structural unit of the Agricultural Division of Petrovskaya Agriculture and Forestry Academy. As a Faculty it was separated in 1934 only and was named Zoo-Technical Faculty until 1976. |
The history of the Faculty is closely connected with the history of animal science in Russia. Famous Russian scientists worked at the Faculty in different years: professor I.N.Chernopyatov, the first Head of a Chair of Animal Husbandry, the corresponding member of the Academy of Science of the USSR P.N.Kuleshov, professor N.L.Chervinsky, and an academician M.F. Ivanov. Academicians E.F.Liskun, I.S.Popov, S.I. Smetnev, A.P.Redkin, A.I.Nikolaev made a great contribution in the development of animal science.
The scientists of the Faculty are the authors of the first Russian textbooks on animal husbandry, which are widely used by students of other Russian institutions and universities.
The Faculty offers two specialties in Animal Husbandry, and Animal Biology, and the latter offers a specialization in hunting science.
The Faculty is known for its specialized Chairs of small animal husbandry. Fourteen Chairs of small animal husbandry provide training of students, future zoo-engineers in a wide range of specializations. Among other the following Chairs should be mentioned: Horse Breeding, Bee-Keeping, Aquaculture, Poultry, Meat and Milk Cattle Breeding, Sheep Breeding, Goat Breeding, and Pig Breeding.
Students receive basic biological training at the Chairs of Zoology, Anatomy, Animal Gystology and Embryology, Animal Physiology and Biochemistry. The Chairs of Feeding of Farm Animals, Genetics and Breeding of Farm Animals, Zoo-Hygiene, Obstetrics and Veterinary provide training in professional disciplines. The Chair of electrification and automatization of the technological process provides training in engineering.
The practical training is taking by students in training and production subdivisions of the Faculty, which are located near to educational buildings. Thus, at the Horse-Riding Hall where 17 horse breeds are kept, students can study the technologies of horse raising, feeding, and training. At the same time students-horsemen can master their equestrian skills. There is a large aquarium at the Chair of Aquaculture where students and postgraduate students conduct their research on aquarium fish and fish of economic importance.
There is a training and production poultry farm where almost all types of poultry are kept – hens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quails, and pheasants. It helps students to master their professional skills on the living objects.
The training apiary was organized in 1865, the same year when Petrovskaya Academy was founded. There is an open-air museum of bee-keeping on the territory of the apiary with beehives of different designs. The Mayor of Moscow Yu.M.Luzhkov presented a beehive of his own design to the apiary.
The herd of white-and-black milking cows, different breeds of pigs and the collection herd of sheep are kept at the zoological station. The zoological station is equipped with modern milking machines and an auxiliary dairy. At this station students can study technologies of milk production and processing, and also conduct experiments on animal feeding and breeding.
Students of the Faculty participate at students’ scientific conferences regularly, with best papers published in the conference proceedings. More than 40 postgraduate students study at the Faculty annually.