Impact of war on zoos in Ukraine

Feldman Ekopark in Kharkiv is all the time under artillery fire. Four days ago missile hit ape house. Two orangutans and one chimpanzee died. But there is also better news: yesterday four orangs and nine chimps were evacuated to Kharkiv Zoo.
 
Another zoo in serious trouble is XII Months Park. The zoo is located in the northern outskirts of Kyiv. Zoo wasn’t under fire, but almost from the beginning of the war it was under russian occupation. There is no heating, no food for animals. German, Czech and Polish gardens provided food and medicines for Ukrainian zoos, but there is no way to deliver it to XII Months Park. Owner asks for a green corridor to be able to take out smaller animals and bring food for larger (zoo has rhinos, hippos, giraffes, orangs). Unfortunately, the occupier doesn’t agree to this. So far, the food portions have been limited, but some animals died of shock and starvation.
 
Lion and wolf taken across Carpathian Mountains in 'mission impossible' escape from war-torn Ukraine

A lion and a wolf have been evacuated from a zoo in Ukraine following a four-day rescue mission.

Simba the lion and the wolf named Akyla were completely awake during their journey due to the lack of tranquillisers available in war-torn Ukraine.

The pair were delivered to their new home in Radauti in Romania this week after travelling from a zoo in Zaporizhzhia in south-east Ukraine.

Escaping the war zone involved crossing the towering Carpathian Mountains, which arch across the countries' common border.

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I have received an e-mal from Animal Survival International (ASI).
It states that the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in Kherson Oblast has ostriches, emus, rhinos, bison, wild horses, zebras antelopes and the world's largest herd of saigas and is an area that has seen heavy fighting and which the Russians now claim to completely control. Russian tanks have destroyed zoo fences and shelled enclosures.
ASI says that the Mykolaiv Zoo is running out of money to feed giraffes, hippos and polar bears; rockets are still flying overhead. .
ASI says that lions, wolves, alpacas, tigers, black bears and leopards, camels, lemurs and emus urgently need food at the Berdyansk Zoo.
ASI says the Yelanetsky Steppe Reserve in Kalynivka, Mykolaiv Oblast needs food for the bison, red fox, roe deer and wild boar. The most urgent need is to rebuild a huge fence that has been repeatedly breached by Russian tanks and other military equipment. If the animals flee, they will be mown down in the war. The grazing bison are incredibly important for the reserve’s ecosystem, as they protect it from being overgrown with invasive, alien plants. UNCG said this is an area has recently been liberated from Russian troops.
 
In Feldman Ecopark, a couple of bison died as a result of shelling, only ten-month-old bison was left.
But again some better news: most of the monkeys were taken from Feldman Ekopark (two days ago) and XII Months Park (today). It is also possible to deliver food to XII Months Park (the area is still under russian occupation, but there are no fights there).
Anywhere I can't find information about Mariupol Zoo(it is small institution, 3,5 ha, probably private). I only read rumors that few days ago lion was running around the city streets.
 
Feldman Okopark has confirmed on Facebook that continued shelling over the last two days has destroyed the majority of their infrastructure. As they still have their big cats on site, they are hoping to move them to other facilities whenever the opportunity presents itself. However, if that opportunity fails to appear, they are considering the euthanasia of these animals.

Source: Фельдман Экопарк
 
Dylan said:
Feldman Okopark has confirmed on Facebook that continued shelling over the last two days has destroyed the majority of their infrastructure. As they still have their big cats on site, they are hoping to move them to other facilities whenever the opportunity presents itself. However, if that opportunity fails to appear, they are considering the euthanasia of these animals.

Source: Фельдман Экопарк
Click to expand...

They posted an updated today that four cats were successfully evacuated and that they are receiving new transport/holding cages and supplies which will hopefully help them evacuate more animals.

~Thylo
 
Feldman Ecopark has successfully evacuated three tapirs:

Rare tapirs rescued from Ukrainian zoo where three keepers have died

Three rare tapirs have been rescued in the back of a van, after they were left in a Ukrainian zoo.

Feldman Ecopark zeoo said in a statement: "Dalma, Pinto and Dolly were taken out of the danger zone and sent to the Poltava region, where a temporary home was prepared for them.

"Many thanks to brave rescue volunteers, partners from Ecopark Kovalivka and our many friends, thanks to whose donations we can evacuate animals."
 
From the Feldman Ecopark website: War brings bad news

We have received confirmation that two of our employees who went missing in early March have died. When the war started, they stayed in the Ecopark and helped to feed the animals. We arrived at the Ecopark on March 7 and did not find them there. We searched for them for a long time, hooked up law enforcement officers. Until the last, we had been hoping that nothing irremediable had happened, and they were able to survive. But yesterday we received confirmation that their bodies had been found. Our guys were shot by the enemies, and their bodies had been barricaded in the back room.

We’ll cherish the blessed memory of these wonderful and courageous people. Sincere condolences to their families and friends. We believe that inhumans who have committed this will definitely be punished!​


ABC News in Australia reported on this: Ukrainian zoo workers found shot to death and dumped in barricaded room, say owners

A Ukrainian zoo says two workers who stayed at the park to feed the animals after Russia launched its invasion have been found dead.

The Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv said in a statement the workers bodies were discovered "barricaded in the back room".

Kharkiv, in Ukraine's north-east near the Russia border, has been witness to some of the fiercest fighting in the war.

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The ABC has not been able to independently verify the claims.
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It must have taken a lot of courage to continue to go to work to care for animals in the middle of a war.

A terrible thing for them and their families. The whole thing is awful.
 
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