A bear trapped in a zoo in Ukraine that had been hit by shelling was not too long ago saved by Scottish zookeepers.
The Asiatic black bear was found when Ukrainian troopers entered the village of Yampil which had been below Russian occupation for 5 months.
The bear, given the identical identify because the village, was concussed from the shelling and needed to be carried out of the rubble by troopers on a tarp. As soon as out of the warzone, Yampil the bear ultimately reached Belgium, the place he was cared for by the wildlife charity Natuurhulpcentrum.
Workers at 5 Sisters Zoo in West Lothian, Scotland heard about Yampil from the charity, they usually determined to fly down to go to him, not sure of what to anticipate.
“Bears can usually endure psychological well being issues after going by means of a traumatic expertise, and so it was actually vital we understood Yampil and what to anticipate from him,” stated Garry Curran, the top of carnivores at 5 Sisters. Chatting with the Guardian, he recounted that the staff breathed a collective sigh of aid once they noticed the bear contentedly chomping on a cucumber once they arrived.
“Though he appeared a bit of nervous at first, he appears to have tailored surprisingly properly and didn’t really present any regarding stress-related behaviors. He appears to be a peaceful and mild particular person, which was reassuring for all of us,” Curran advised the Guardian.
Preparations had been made to move the bear to Scotland, and after travelling 690 miles over 12 hours, Yampil arrived at his new residence final Friday.
Now, 5 Sisters Zoo are fundraising to complete building of a everlasting enclosure for Yampil. The zoo has raised £60,000 by means of their efforts thus far, and are hoping to achieve their goal of £200,000, which will probably be used to fund Yampil’s specialist enclosure, care and maintenance. Any souls can donate by means of their enchantment hyperlink right here.
Workers on the zoo are grateful for the cash raised thus far by means of donations from people and for the supplies donated from native companies used to assemble the enclosure.
“We’ve got rescued bears earlier than and have some terrific services,” stated the proprietor of 5 Sisters, Brian Curran. “Nevertheless, Yampil is the primary rescued Asiatic black bear we’ll take care of, and he requires a complete new enclosure to match his particular wants.”
Curran stated that if Yampil feels snug in his short-term environment, he could go into hibernation, which might permit the development to proceed at a extra tranquil tempo.
This text by Andy Corbley was first printed by The Good Information Community on 16 January 2024. Lead Picture: Yamil in his new enclosure in Scotland – 5 Sisters Zoo, by way of SWNS.
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