A bear found hurt and abandoned in a zoo in Russia-occupied Ukraine has a new home in Scotland

Thibault Spirlet
·3 min read
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  • A zoo in Scotland is working to adopt a bear that suffered a concussion in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

  • Yampil, aged 12, was found in the "most appalling conditions" in Donetsk, the zoo said.

  • The zoo said it needs around $250,000 to pay for the bear's long-term care and housing.

A zoo in Scotland launched a call for donations to adopt a Ukrainian black bear that survived a concussion while under Russian occupation.

The 12-year-old bear, named Yampil after the village from which he was rescued, was found in the "most appalling conditions" in eastern Ukraine, according to the Five Sisters Zoo near Edinburgh.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the zoo said Yampil had been in an area of the Donetsk region which was occupied for five months and then recaptured.

He was close to dying after being concussed by a shell explosion that took place close to his cage at an unspecified date, the zoo said in a statement sent to Insider.

Yampil was one of the few zoo animals to escape, with many others succumbing to shelling and broader deprivation at the Ukrainian zoo, it said. Some were likely slaughtered for food, the zoo said.

While Yampil's story is "truly horrific", Five Sisters Zoo said it now wants to make sure it gives him a "happy ending", per its Facebook post.

The bear is currently in safe hands in northeastern Belgium at the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife-rescue charity.

It has asked Five Sisters Zoo — renowned for its rescue work and care for endangered animals — to give the animal a loving, permanent home in Scotland, per a Facebook post.

In a statement sent to Insider, the Scottish zoo said that adopting such an animal requires a "significant" investment of around £200,000, or around $250,000. It would pay for a brand new enclosure for Yampil and his future veterinary care needs, the zoo said.

It has not said how much of the total it has raised so far.

"War and conflict … is a horrible things, and it's very traumatic for people. It's often forgotten that it's traumatic for animals as well," Romain Pizzi, Five Sisters' head veterinarian, told CNN.

Yampil is expected to relocate to Scotland in 2024, per the zoo's statement.

At least 200,000 animals have been left homeless partly due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Ukrainians leaving their pets behind, Olga Chevganiuk, COO of Ukrainian animal organization UAnimals, told The Hill.

As a result, animal shelters along the frontlines were filled to capacity, according to the first census published by the Ukrainian animal rescue service, Save Pets of Ukraine, in January 2023.

In March 2022, animal rescuers in neighboring Poland told Insider they had not slept for days, driving back and forth over the Ukrainian border to ferry wounded cats and dogs to safety.

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