The representation of human-animal relations in periodicals: a case study of a St. Petersburg newspaper

How do we explain a surge of interest to animals expressed by urban residents in traditional and digital media? What is the part that printed periodicals play in animal representation? What are the principles and attitudes St. Petersburg residents have when it comes to animals? How welcoming is the city to them? An answer to all those questions can be found via factual studies. In this article, we analyze the public discourse taking place in the Metro St. Petersburg newspaper in 2022–2023. The method we use is not typical for anthropology, but when we focus on contemporary studies, we have to adapt methods and methodologies borrowed from other scientific fields. This article exists at the intersection between anthrozoology, media anthropology and urban studies. The newspaper raises issues of environment and biodiversity preservation in large cities, discusses animal rescue efforts, animal shelters, animal-focused art and business, dog friendly spaces in the city, lives of animals in Leningrad Zoo. Other pressing issues, including animal cruelty, pet ownership regulations, homeless animals, dog/cat hoarding in a single apartment, dog owners’ groups in a large city, animals’ aggression, etc. go virtually uncovered. This can be explained by the fact that the newspaper largely serves the functions of entertainment and compensatory/anti-stress. It produces anthropomorphic language and images that should be avoided, as they impart pets with needs and desires they simply do not have. Obviously, the discourse taking place in that St. Petersburg newspaper pertains mostly to humans because animals are incapable of having a voice. But in any case, the protection and rescue of animals in an urban context requires attention and new studies.

anthrozoology, anthropology of media, urban studies, human-animal relations, animals in a big city, anthropomorphism, images of animals, urban media