Russian Invasion, Staff And Families Live With Nearly 4,000 Animals At Kyiv Zoo

Illustration of the Kyiv zoo. (Wikimedia Commons/Nikolay Zolotarev)

JAKARTA - Employees at the Kyiv Zoo, Ukraine chose to survive and live with their families amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While some Ukrainian residents have fled the country as the Russian invasion continues, Director Kirill Trentin and other Kyiv Zoo staff have stayed behind to help the animals, according to Reuters.

Kyiv Zoo houses nearly 4,000 animals and 200 species. Reuters reported staff and their families had been living together at the property for nearly eight days. The group refers to themselves as a "zoo military commune", according to Reuters.

"All day we work with animals, and at night we hide in shelters because there are attacks", Trentin told the outlet, as reported by Insider on March 6.

Trentin told Reuters a 'big fight' had recently broken out, which he believed was an attempt by troops to occupy military units.

Illustration of the Kyiv zoo. (Wikimedia Commons/SergKh78)

"Tracker ammunition was flying all over the zoo", Trentin said, adding the fighting had stressed the animals.

"And the next morning, we will have to see if anyone is injured. But there are no clear signs of injury and no one has died."

However, Trentin noted that several birds were injured by hitting the enclosure barrier.

Trentin reiterated in a February 26 blog post that the fighting stresses the animals, prompting staff to move some animals to indoor cages and others to underground galleries.

Veterinarians are on hand to monitor an animal's emotional state and provide reassurance when needed, Trentin writes. The Independent reports that the Kyiv Zoo has only ten days of pet food in stock.

Illustration of the Kyiv zoo. (Wikimedia Commons/SergKh78)

Animal activists have urged people to help protect animals in nature reserves and zoos after Russia invaded Ukraine. Another group of animals, six lions, six tigers, two caracals, and one African wild dog, were rescued when they were taken from the Save Wild animal sanctuary near Kyiv to the Polish border, Newsweek reported. Meanwhile, Reuters reported the animals were taken by the Polish zoo in Poznan.

Using trucks, the animals reached Poland on Thursday after a two-day journey, to avoid a Russian invasion, a Polish zoo official said.

"They had to go a long way to avoid Zhytomyr and other bombardment zones. They had to make many detours, because all roads were blown up, full of potholes, impossible to pass with such cargo, that's why it took so long", said Poznan zoo spokeswoman Malgorzata Chodyla, told Reuters.

Reuters reported that the first attempt on the trip failed after the truck hit a Russian tank and was unable to pass. The Daily Mail reported they were attacked at one point and then had to change routes to escape the bombs and Russian troops.

Chodyla said all the animals, including the cubs, survived the long journey, but the zoo was concerned about the 17-year-old tigress who looked very tired.

Helping the drivers were three elderly men who had no experience in handling wild animals, and who have now returned to Kyiv to defend their city, he said.

Once the animals have rested in Poznan, they can travel further west. The Belgian sanctuary said it would accept six African lions and wild dogs, Chodyla added.