Blazons of Irkutsk Oblast Towns

The arms of Irkutsk Oblast was adopted in 1997. The heraldic description of the arms says: "In a silver field black babr with dark red eyes holding in the teeth a dark red sable". The heraldic colours of the arms mean: black - prudence, humility, grief; dark red (red) - bravery, courage, fearlessness.

In Siberia the name of an animal "tiger" settled down not at once. At the same time this animal has received there a new name - "babr". It has resulted that the officials easily have confused siberian babr with more familiar river rodent - "bobr" (beaver). The arisen from here mess has penetrated into official documents. Therefore in the arms of Irkutsk province, authorized on July 5, 1878, not striped tiger, but an unknown black animal called "bobr" with cat muzzle, web-footed pads and thick tail was drawn. And the new description of the arms has become the following: " In a silver board, a black running beaver, with dark red eyes holding in a mouth a dark red sable".

Vladimir Dahl has detected this error and has mentioned it in his "Explanatory Dictionary of Russian Language": "A Tiger is a ferocious animal Felis tigris, babr; is altered in Irkutsk coat of arms on a beaver, which not presents there, but babrs (tigers) come to this territory".