War in Ukraine: the incredible journey of this black bear who survived the assaults of Vladimir Putin's army

Un ours noir d'Asie a survécu à la guerre en Ukraine. (image d'illustration) MaxPPP – mediadrumimages/@vicky.patel.pho

Ce vendredi 12 janvier 2024, un ours noir d'Asie est arrivé en Écosse après avoir survécu aux multiples assauts russes lancés en Ukraine.

His name is Yampil and he comes from Ukraine. It is an Asian black bear and lived in the Donetsk region. He is one of the rare animals in a zoo to have survived the war in Ukraine declared by Russia in February 2022. The latter found refuge in Scotland in an adapted establishment not far from Edinburgh, indicates Reuters.

A European journey

It was a Belgian charity that took care of the animal. This bear traveled almost 12 hours to Scotland's Five Sisters Zoo, where he is now safe. This was discovered in October 2022, several months after the start of the Russian invasion.

Yampil, an Asiatic Black Bear rescued from an abandoned zoo in war-torn Ukraine, finally arrives at his permanent home at Scotland's @fivesisterszoo
After travelling a total distance of 690 miles for over twelve hours, Yampil explores his new home in West Calder. @SWNS pic.twitter.com/47OEtGuaal

— ARROWSMITH🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@KtLeeArrowsmith) January 12, 2024

"When the volunteers found Yampil, a shell had exploded not long before and caused a concussion. He was in critical condition, explains Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo. His state of health remains monitored very closely, to see if he does not develop problems similar to post-traumatic stress syndrome. However, the animal seems "relaxed" despite having lived in a war zone, explains the BBC.

The director of the Scottish establishment, however, remains cautious and recalls that Yampil escaped the worst. "Five more days and he couldn't have been saved," he says. Note that the bear left from Donetsk, a region in the east of Ukraine, crossed Poland, then went to an animal sanctuary in Belgium before ;reach its final destination.

In the meantime, Five Sisters Zoo continues to try to raise funds, to the tune of £200,000 for a new suitable enclosure. This species of bear, also known as the moon bear, is classified as vulnerable, there are fewer than 60,000 worldwide, reports the British media .