- A zoo in Kharkiv, Ukraine, says it may have to kill some of its large predators if their enclosures are injured.
- Feldman Ecopark is asking for funds, transportation, and labor to help evacuate the animals.
- The zoo warned that the evacuation effort could draw the attention of Russian forces.
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A zoo in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv says it may have to kill its big cats, bears and other large animals after their enclosures were nearly destroyed by Russian bombings.
Feldman Ecopark on Tuesday issued a statement from its founder, saying the park is exploring ways to temporarily house the animals, otherwise its “only option is to euthanize them.”
“Ecopark no longer exists. Now that can be said with certainty,” said founder Oleksandr Feldman. “Yesterday and today [the zoo] was again subjected to massive shelling and bombardment. Infrastructure destroyed, enclosures destroyed.”
He said the pens are still “miraculously” maintaining their integrity but would likely be compromised by another round of shelling. The park fears its predators – including lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars and bears – may escape their enclosures and invade the city of Kharkiv or nearby villages.
“It’s incredibly painful to talk about, but the main priority right now is people’s lives,” Feldman said.
Feldman Ecopark later posted a video on its Facebook page showing the damage to some of the enclosures. “As you can see, a bit more and lions might be outside the enclosure,” the post’s caption read.
In the Post, the zoo again called for help to evacuate its predators, saying that “animal euthanasia is the extreme measure we are hoping for.” [we] not reach.”
However, transporting big cats and bears is an operation that requires “specialist transportation” and “large numbers of people,” Feldman Ecopark warned. The zoo also noted that the movements had a “high probability” of attracting the attention of Russian forces, who might start shelling the area again.
There may still be hope for the zoo’s animals: In a separate update, the park said it had received responses from Ukrainians across the country offering transportation and cages. The zoo said it has since begun evacuating two lions, a jaguar and a panther.
“Transport is already coming to us, necessary cages are coming, people who are not afraid to take animals out of the shooting zone are ready to take our pets in many places,” the park’s statement said.
“Of course everything is still very difficult and the process is only gaining momentum,” it added, saying it needed further help with logistics, animal feed, finance and manpower.
The donation page for Feldman Ecopark can be found here.