Aurochs

Obverse

the two-headed eagle designed by artist I. Bilibin. The inscriptions along the rim: at the top — "ОДИН РУБЛЬ 1997 г." (ONE RUBLE 1997), at the bottom — "БАНК РОССИИ" (BANK OF RUSSIA). The letters below indicate the metal sign, the fineness, the fine metal content and the mint trademark.

Reverse

the picture of an aurochs. The inscription at the bottom along the rim: "ЗУБР" (THE AUROCHS).

Authors

The artist: A.V. Baklanov.
The sculptors: A.V. Baklanov, A.A. Dolgopolova, L.S. Kamshilov, A.S. Kunats.
St. Petersburg Mint (ЛМД).
The edge: 252 corrugations.

The aurochs (Bison bonasus), destroyed in the wilds of Europe, had been preserved in some zoos by the beginning of the thirties. Today the population of this species is being restored. The aurochs inhabits Belarus, Caucasia and the Carpathians. Nurseries were set up in the Prioksko-Terrasny and Okski reserves to raise the number of wild aurochs. The aurochs is entered in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Nature and Natural Resources Protection.