A Ukrainian zoo announced this Tuesday that it may have to euthanize several animals after their enclosures were destroyed by bombardment from the Russian military, The Hill reports.
“Yesterday and today [Feldman Ecopark] was again subjected to massive shelling and bombardment. Infrastructure destroyed, enclosures destroyed,” zoo founder Alexander Feldman said in a statement. “The biggest problem is large predators.”
“Maybe we will save baby jaguars, baby panthers, but all adult animals will probably be liquidated,” Feldman said.
Officials of the zoo, located in the city of Kharviv, say they’re trying to find temporary housing for the animals, which is their only option aside from euthanizing.
“We emphasize that the euthanasia of animals is an extreme measure, which, we very much hope, will not come to. Now we are negotiating with a large number of people and organizations, in particular, with those who can accept our animals in Ukraine and abroad,” the zoo said in a statement.
