Modern-day Ark of animals flees to Poland from Kyiv zoo after six-day odyssey across Ukraine which saw their evacuation convoy come under fire from Russian artillery and forced to flee Putin’s tanks
A modern-day Ark of animals has escaped into Poland after a six-day odyssey across war-torn Ukraine which saw their evacuation convoy come under fire from Russia artillery and forced to flee Vladimir Putin’s tanks.
The animals, from a rescue shelter near Kyiv airport, had come under attack from Russian shelling when the director made the decision to evacuate them.
Saying they would either die from ‘bombs or starvation’, Natalia Popova contacted a zoo in the Polish city of Poznan before making the difficult decision about which of her 80 animals had the best chance of surviving the journey.
Selecting six lions, four tigers, an African wild dog and a capuchin monkey, Popova then arranged to meet up with Polish zoo staff on the border.
Setting off on Saturday the convoy immediately had to return after coming under fire. The following day they ran into Russian tanks forcing the convoy to go into hiding but resumed on Tuesday, changing route several times to avoid bombs and Russian troops.
A modern-day Ark of animals, among them a capuchin monkey has escaped into Poland after a six-day odyssey across war-torn Ukraine with saw their evacuation convoy come under fire from Russia artillery and forced to flee Vladimir Putin’s tanks
The animals, including six lions from a rescue shelter near Kyiv airport, had come under attack from Russian shelling when the director made the decision to evacuate them
Warning the animals, among them tigers, would either die from ‘bombs or starvation’, Natalia Popova contacted a zoo in the Polish city of Poznan before making the difficult decision about which of her 80 animals had the best chance of surviving the journey
Popova selected six lions, four tigers, an African wild dog and a capuchin monkey, and arranged to meet up with Polish zoo staff on the border
The modern-day Ark reached and crossed the Polish border late on Thursday evening after dodging artillery fire and Russian tanks in a desperate bid to flee the country
Piles of food were loads onto an animal carrier as it left the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a desperate evacuation bid as Russian troops advanced on the capital after invading the country last week
At the border last night delighted zoo staff posted on social media: ‘We did it! They are all alive! The crossing took eight hours in the cold, the people and animals are exhausted’
After escaping Russian tanks they headed towards Zhytomyr, where they encountered a bombing raid so headed south towards Vinnitsa before heading to the border crossing in Metyka.
At the border last night delighted zoo staff posted on social media: ‘We did it! They are all alive! The crossing took eight hours in the cold, the people and animals are exhausted. We are concerned about an old tigress, a tiger cub and one lion.’
Poznań Zoo director Ewa Zgrabczyńska later said: ‘Getting out of a country under attack is not easy, as hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine have already found out. With animals, it is even more difficult.
‘At one point [Natalia] called me, saying in a whisper that she was sitting in the cabin and could see the tanks. I begged her to leave the animals and save her life. She refused.’
The animals are now on their way to the zoo where after resting, some will head to sanctuaries in Spain and Belgium where they have been offered shelter.
Several of the zoos 80 animals were left behind in the desperate evacuation effort this week – among them Alpacas pictured at the zoo earlier this year
Selecting six lions, four tigers, an African wild dog and a capuchin monkey, Popova then arranged to meet up with Polish zoo staff on the border, leaving the other animals behind
Several of Kyiv zoo’s 80 animals were left behind when staff evacuated some of the creatures as Russian troops advanced on the Ukrainian capital after invading the country last week
Several of the zoos 80 animals were left behind in the desperate evacuation effort this week – among them Alpacas pictured at the zoo earlier this year
Turtles were among the nearly 70 animals left behind at Kyiv zoo this week after staff evacuated a small number of lions, tigers and other animals over the border to Poland
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