Employees of Kyiv Zoo have been living with their families at the zoo since Russia invaded Ukraine. They’ve been there for almost eight days.
The zoo director, Cyril Trantin, said that the employees take care of around 4000 animals during the day and hide in the shelter at night, hoping the zoo will be saved.
“Forty workers, veterinary specialists, keepers, electricians and plumbers. Some of the workers take their families with them. It is approximately 20-30 more people. There is a sort of a zoo military commune for now,” Trantin told news agency Reuters.
“I think four days ago, there was a huge fight near the zoo. Tracer ammunition was flying all over the zoo. It’s stressful for animals,” he said, adding that every morning staff checks if no one is hurt. “Birds were hurting themselves while hitting on cages.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started a week ago. The United Nations (UN) said more than 1 million refugees had fled in just seven days.
Trantin told news organization EuroNews the zoo cannot evacuate the animals because it would be impossible to provide appropriate veterinary service and transportation.
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