The war in Ukraine also leaves hopeful stories like that of Yampil, a rare Asian black bear rescued at the end of 2022 in a zoo bombed by the Russian army. After months of medical care, the animal arrived on Friday at Five Sisters in West Calder, Scotland, its new home.
Yampil, formerly called Borya, was discovered by soldiers who recaptured the devastated city of Lyman during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in late 2022, Yegor Yakovlev, a member of Save Wild, tells the Associated Press (AP).
The bear was found in a private zoo that had long been abandoned by its owners. Almost all the other animals in the collection had died of hunger, thirst or from the bullets of the Russian troops, except him.
However, the episode took a serious toll on him, this agency reports. The animal suffered a concussion from an explosive that fell near its ranch. "He survived by a miracle," agree his rescuers, who baptized him with the same name as this town in the Donetsk region.
Then a real odyssey began: taking him to a safe place and providing him with medical care. First, he was transferred to kyiv for veterinary care and rehabilitation. He was then sent to a zoo in Poland. Lastly, he lived in an animal rescue center in Belgium, where he spent the last seven months before landing in the UK.
It is not the only animal they have welcomed in the Belgian zoo. In recent months, he has cared for other animals rescued from the war in Ukraine: a wolf, a caracal and four lions.
Brian Curran, owner of the Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, Scotland, congratulates Yampil, although he asks for help to pay for her stay. From now on, the bear will enjoy a normal life in this zoo's facilities, far from the war in Ukraine.
