Saving exotic animal from Ukraine

Since the Russian invasion in 2022, a tremendous effort to save wild and exotic animals is carried out in Ukraine. Days after aggression Natalia Popova’s facility filled up with exotic animals — big cats, bears, avians, reptiles — left behind by the owners and found by the army. These were not ZOO specimens, but victims of black market trade, exotic pets left behind in rubble, traumatised and wounded, roaming freely on the frontlines. Born in tiny cages to human amusement, they were endangered animals of questionable origin that cannot be restored to their habitats.

Since the Russian invasion in 2022, a tremendous effort to save wild and exotic animals is carried out in Ukraine. Days after aggression Natalia Popova’s facility filled up with exotic animals — big cats, bears, avians, reptiles — left behind by the owners and found by the army. These were not ZOO specimens, but victims of black market trade, exotic pets left behind in rubble, traumatised and wounded, roaming freely on the frontlines. Born in tiny cages to human amusement, they were endangered animals of questionable origin that cannot be restored to their habitats.

A hopeless cause, but on Polish side Ewa Zgrabczyńska, director of ZOO in Poznań, went all-in to answer to Popova’s desperate call for evacuation before the expected siege of Kyiv. She created a framework that allowed for extraordinary transit the animals to Poznań ZOO for quarantine and care, before redirecting them to asylums around the world. As they saved over 200 animals together, they expressed hope the entire operation may in fact hinder the Ukrainian black market of big cats to a point that it’s no more. The ambiguity of war realities creates a vacuum that may yet benefit their effort.

The insane bravado of these two women and all volunteers going to the frontlines for unwanted, wronged, traumatised animals was the most selfless act I can think of and a larger-than-life story on human condition.

Their bravery shows this conflict in light I haven’t seen before and convinced me to follow through. Majority of this humanitarian effort remains underreported, because it’s too time consuming to cover with no promise of story yielding fruit for risk-averse outlets.

Human-animal relationship facing the uncertainty of war is most touching subject that reflects on humanitarian angle of this conflict. It’s an outlet to speak about what’s humane, through eyes of animals that are defenceless. These are exotic animals, toys really, dumped near the battlefield, and found by civilian volunteers, whose compassion drove them through hell for that traumatised animal and back. That’s a picture larger than life and an universal story, I see it every time I publicly speak about this effort.