Six lions and six tigers from a shelter for abused animals not far from Kiev, were evacuated by Poland, and arrived Thursday in the zoological garden of the city of Poznan, in the west of the country.
With the war raging in Ukraine, food supplies, including for animals, are dwindling day by day, forcing Natalia Popova’s shelter to transfer its animals outside the country. The truck carrying these felines but also caracals and a wild dog traveled more than 1,000 kilometers to the Polish border, making detours to bypass the Zhitomir region, bombarded by Russian forces.
After a long journey, during which the convoy found itself facing Russian tanks, the animals were welcomed into the Poznan zoo, which belongs to the municipality, which will take care of feeding and caring for them during a time. The city of Poznan had to launch a fundraiser, as the city did not have the money to take care of the animals.
“They arrived. They are all alive. Very tired and stressed,” Poznan Zoo said in a Facebook post.
Several establishments elsewhere in Europe have already contacted the management of the zoo to welcome these animals. Natalia Popova, however, said that she still has to take care of 70 animals present in her refuge.