ABC News March 30, 2022

Ukrainians try to rescue exotic animals from abandoned zoo

WATCH: Ukrainians try rescuing zoo animals amid war
By Morgan Winsor & Aliyah Thomas

A group of Ukrainian volunteers is attempting to rescue animals from a private zoo near the capital that was abandoned after the Russian army bombed and occupied the area.

Vitaly Mukhanov told ABC News that he had volunteered to help bring supplies to Ukrainian soldiers when he came across the Yasnohorodka family ecopark, about 30 miles outside Kyiv.

The park appeared to have been damaged by shelling, Mukhanov said. Animals, including camels and ostriches, were left with no food. Some were injured, while others were dead, he said.

Vitaly Mukhanov/Facebook
Animals at the Yasnohorodka family ecopark, about 30 miles outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. The animals were abandoned when fighting forced their caretakers to flee. A volunteer bringing supplies to Ukrainian soldiers found them, some in dead, others in poor condition.

“You could tell that many of the animals starved to death," Mukhanov said.

Vitaly Mukhanov/Facebook
Animals at the Yasnohorodka family ecopark, about 30 miles outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. The animals were abandoned when fighting forced their caretakers to flee. A volunteer bringing supplies to Ukrainian soldiers found them, some in dead, others in poor condition.
MORE: Russia shells areas in Ukraine where it vowed to scale back

Videos and images Mukhanov took of the scene and posted on Facebook on Monday quickly went viral and he said he was subsequently contacted by the zoo's owner, who asked for his assistance.

In one of the videos, Mukhanov comes across a wounded ostrich. The bird appeared to be taking its last breaths as he gently stroked its head.

"You can see from the images that the animals were in a very bad way," Mukhanov said.

Vitaly Mukhanov/Facebook
Damage from the war at the Yasnohorodka family ecopark, about 30 miles outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. The animals were abandoned when fighting forced their caretakers to flee. A volunteer bringing supplies to Ukrainian soldiers found them, some dead, others in poor condition.

"The town nearby was liberated from the Russians two days ago, so the owner is now returning to the zoo and they hope to evacuate the animals in the next couple of days," he said.

As of Wednesday morning, Yasnohorodka family ecopark posted on their Facebook page that the animals were being rescued and evacuated from the area.

Mukhanov explained that due to the area being bombed and occupied by Russian forces, the owners and staff were in fear of their lives and had to flee the zoo as quickly as possible, forcing them to leave the animals behind.

Vadim Ghirda/AP
A Ukrainian serviceman tries to avoid being bitten by an ostrich at a heavily damaged private zoo as soldiers and volunteers attempted to evacuate the surviving animals to safety in the village of Yasnohorodka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 30, 2022. The evacuation was halted before completion as shelling resumed between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the area.
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“As of now this area has been freed and our Ukrainian troops are there, so we have organized and guaranteed the owner safety so he can evacuate the animals,” he said.

The owner will be returning back to the area hopefully by tomorrow, he said, but there are currently staff and volunteers on-site feeding the animals and safely beginning to evacuate some of them.

ABC News reached out to park operators but have not received a comment.

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