maray on the job

thanks internet archive (PD)

I'm betting most if not all of you have seen the news about the new staffer at Serpukhov's Museum of History and Art in Moscow.  He's a big ginger fellow who had been hanging about getting to know the staff, and recently that staff decided to take matters into their own hands.  They sent out a press release with his application letter and their decision to hire him. . .
. . . on April 1.  Their new hire is a cat.
My hamhanded GoogleTranslate on the museum's announcement told me that Maray (as he's christened, after the family who owned the property originally) thought he owed it to the Museum to help protect their paintings, since cats are in so many fine works.  I also learned that he had considered giving his services to the nearby butcher's, but traded bodily food for spiritual and didn't regret it.  (This was where everyone was tipped off to the joke, surely.)
Want to see where Maray's working?  Here's a virtual tour of the Serpukhov.
The moral of the story for museums in general may be: Hire a cat = free media coverage beaucoup.