Around 80 residents were at a sanctuary run by Natalia Popova for animals rescued from circuses or abusive owners. When the war broke out, her biggest concern was for the predators, as they need up to 10 kilogrammes of meat daily. As Director of Poznań Zoological Garden Ewa Zgrabczyńska told PAP Polish Press Agency, the shelter owner "knew that if the animals did not die from bombs, they would starve to death.”
PAP writes, citing Poznań ZOO, that Natalia Popova chose those animals, which she believed had the best chance of surviving the transport, and some which had already been offered places at sanctuaries in Europe.
Poznań ZOO press representative Małgorzata Chodyła said that it had been "a race against time"; that the convoy had been fired at and that the journey had been extremely difficult.
The sanctuary is located near Kyiv airport, which had already been under attack. The transport managed to set off last Saturday, but came under fire immediately and turned back. A day later the convoy set off again, but came to a halt when Russian tanks appeared on the road.
Director Ewa Zgrabczyńska said it was a miracle that all the animals in the transport survived. She said that she had been on the phone with the shelter owner and urged her to save herself, but heard that she would not abandon her animals.
When the convoy could move again, it headed towards the border, but was forced to zig-zag across the country to avoid enemy troops. The animals finally crossed into Poland on Thursday.
Most probably the tiger cubs will be staying in Poznań. The other animals will be going on to refuges in Belgium and Spain.
Meanwhile other Polish zoos have been coming forward with aid for zoological gardens in Ukraine. Wrocław zoo together with the DODO Foundation are forwarding funds and organizing a transport of medical supplies, fire extinguishers, torches and animal feed for gardens in Kyiv and Rivne.
The effort is being joined by several zoos in Poland, including Warsaw, and coordinated by the zoo in Łódź. The zoo's Krzysztof Babij told Polish Press Agency PAP that transports with specialist veterinarian equipment, along with mattresses, blankets and food for keepers, have already been dispatched to Ukraine.
As he said, currently it is only possible to reach the zoos in Rivne and Lutsk, and that transports would continue to the east of the country if the situation allowed. The most difficult situation is at the reserve Askania-Nova in Kherson Oblast.
Head of Kyiv Zoo Kirille Trantin has said that they were not considering evacuation, which he called a last resort, and that the situation was "difficult but stable".
Source: PAP, IAR