An unlikely refugee from the struggle in Ukraine — a uncommon black bear — arrived at his new dwelling in Scotland on Friday and rapidly took to a meal of cucumbers and watermelon.
The 12-year-old Yampil was named for a village within the Donetsk area the place he was one of many few survivors discovered within the stays of a bombed-out non-public zoo by Ukrainian troops.
Yampil, who had beforehand been known as Borya, was found by troopers who recaptured the devastated metropolis of Lyman in the course of the Kharkiv counteroffensive within the fall of 2022, mentioned Yegor Yakovlev of Save Wild, who was among the many first of many individuals who led the bear to a brand new life.
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The bear was present in a menagerie that had lengthy been deserted by its house owners. Virtually all the opposite animals had died of starvation, thirst or had been struck by bullets or shrapnel. Yampil had a near-miss himself and suffered a concussion from a projectile that landed close by.
A black bear named Yampil arrives in West Calder in Scotland, on Jan. 12, 2024. The refugee bear was one of many sole survivors of a zoo that was destroyed throughout combating in 2022 in Ukraine. (5 Sisters Zoo through AP)
”The bear miraculously survived,” mentioned Yakovlev, additionally director of the White Rock Bear Shelter, the place the bear recovered. ”Our fighters didn’t know what … to do with him, in order that they began on the lookout for rescue.”
What adopted was an odyssey that your common bear hardly ever makes, as he was moved to Kyiv for veterinary care and rehab, then shipped to a zoo in Poland, then to an animal rescue in Belgium, the place he spent the previous seven months, earlier than touchdown in the UK.
Brian Curran, proprietor of 5 Sisters Zoo in West Calder, Scotland, mentioned his coronary heart broke when he discovered of the plight of the threatened Asiatic black bear.
”He was in horrible situation; 5 extra days and so they wouldn’t have been capable of save him,” Curran mentioned. ”We had been simply so amazed he was nonetheless alive and effectively.”
The bear was skinny however not malnourished when he was discovered, mentioned Frederik Thoelen, a biologist on the Nature Assist Middle in Belgium. He now could be estimated to weigh a wholesome 440 kilos, Thoelen mentioned.
The character middle in Belgium, which often treats injured wildlife and returns them to their pure settings, has taken a number of animals rescued from the struggle in Ukraine, together with a wolf, a caracal cat and 4 lions, although these animals had not skilled the ordeal Yampil endured.
It was exceptional how calm Yampil was when he arrived in Belgium, Thoelen mentioned.
The bear was educated prior to now two weeks to maneuver from his enclosure to the crate that may transport him throughout Belgium to Calais, France, then throughout the English Channel on a ferry to Scotland. Pastries from an area bakery had been used for good measure to lure him Thursday into the cage, the place he was sedated for the journey.
”We need to use the meals that he likes most, and for many bears — and for folks additionally — it’s candy, unhealthy meals,” Thoelen mentioned.
Thoelen had a way of the bear’s weight as he drove the crate to the port.
”Each time once we had a pink mild or a site visitors jam, when the bear moved somewhat bit, you may really feel the van shifting additionally,” he mentioned. ”You may really feel it was a heavy animal at the back of the automotive.”
Yampil arrived on the zoo about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and instantly made himself at dwelling. He feasted on cukes — mentioned to be his favourite meals — and melon, mentioned Adam Welsh, who works at 5 Sisters.
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The Asian black bear is listed on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature’s Crimson Checklist of Threatened Species as weak to extinction within the wild, the place it may be present in central and southern Asia, Russia and Japan. It’s recognized for the distinctive white crescent patch on its chest that offers it the nickname moon bear. It might probably dwell for as much as 30 years in zoos.
It is not clear if the bear will go into hibernation. The winter has been hotter than ordinary however colder days are on the horizon.
The zoo has different bears, however Yampil is the one Asian bear and distinctive in different methods.
”We’ve had circus bears, for instance, which were rescued,” Welsh mentioned. ”We’ve had bears rescued from locations like roadside eating places the place they’ve been used as sort of roadside sights and been saved in subpar situations. However that is the primary time that we’ve labored with an animal that’s been rescued from a struggle zone.”