Thousands of animals trapped at Kyiv, Ukraine zoo as food supply dwindles
A lucky caravan of lions and tigers escaped from an animal sanctuary in war-torn Ukraine this week — but thousands more animals remained stranded at the Kyiv Zoo on Friday, according to zookeepers and reports.
A total of 80 animals were evacuated from an unnamed sanctuary near the city’s airport to the Poznan Zoo in western Poland as Russian troops launched a ruthless attack on Kyiv, the Poznan Zoo said on Facebook.
But roughly 4,000 other animals — including elephants, camels and Ukraine’s only gorilla — remained stuck at the Kyiv Zoo, which has just enough food to feed them for 10 more days, according to the UK Independent.
Natalia Popova, who runs the sanctuary, said she feared all captive animals in the city would “either die from bombs or starvation,” according to the outlet.
At the Kyiv Zoo, zookeepers have given elephants and other animals sedatives to calm them down during the explosions and gunfire.
“Animals are terrified by the loud sounds of explosions, but our vets are constantly monitoring their condition,” the zoo wrote on Facebook.
The zoo had not evacuated any of its animals as of Friday.
Meanwhile, the sanctuary’s furry evacuees — which included six lions, six tigers, and two caracals of African wild dog — were chosen based on who had the best chance of surviving, Popova said.
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During the chaotic evacuation, the caravan came under fire by Russian troops, and drivers were forced to take a long route around blasted-out areas of northwestern Ukraine, the outlet reported.
“They had to turn back many times because all the roads were blown up, full of holes, impossible to pass with such cargo, which is why it took so long,” said Poznan Zoo spokeswoman Malgorzata Chodyla, whose four-legged refugees included 17-year-old female tiger and cubs.
“But here they are, and we just can’t believe it.”
The convoy’s first attempt to make the journey failed when its path was blocked by Russian tanks, Chodyla said.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s mayor Vitalii Klitschko announced the birth of a lemur at the zoo Friday, according to the Kyiv Independent. The adorable primate was named “Bayraktar” — after military drones hailed as Ukraine’s secret weapon in defending its airspace against the Russian invasion.
