A beauty contest for the best Guinea pig will be held on Friday in the Russian central city of Tula some 120 miles outside Moscow, a city zoo official said.
The three-day event will consist of a preliminary contest on Friday evening to bring the number of "finalists" to 16 Guinea pigs, and visitors will cast their votes on Saturday. The "queen of all Guinea pigs" will be crowned on Sunday.
"Dogs and cats aren't the only favorite household pets, now Guinea pig enthusiasts can show their pride," Margarita Denisova said.
The Tula Region Exotic Terrarium, where the contest is to be held, holds the larges collection of reptiles in the world and is renowned for its ability to breed rare specimens, many of which have been only scarcely studied. The Tula Zoo is the second largest in Russia after the Moscow Zoo.
TULA, November 12 (RIA Novosti)
