#Ukrainian Zoo

[batmanbeyondrocks]

Credit: Yup That Exists@yup.that.exists

[ukrainian-moodboard-enthusiast]

flowers painted over the broken glass / kyiv zoo in october 2023

[permian-tropos]

jesus fucking christ

[myrddin-wylt]

I’m very tired. you probably heard that Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Dam to slow Ukraine’s counter offensive. here’s something I didn’t quite realize: since this February, the Russians operated the dam in juuuuust the right way so that as much water would build up as possible when the snow melted and spring showers started. and then they blew the whole thing up.

40,000 people may need to be evacuated. I don’t really have the energy to say anything else right now.

Hospitallers Medical Battalion: actual angels can confirm. they’re combat-zone medical services - you know how humanitarian groups like MFS and Red Cross have to pause operations due to the Russians fucking shooting at humanitarian zones? yeah, these guys don’t pause for bullets, they fucking walk into them and they bring out anyone they can.

Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation: you can choose from a number of various fundraiser projects here, if you’re feeling particularly picky. for those of you who balk at the idea of supporting anything military just please remember that things like vehicles and drones aren’t just for military use, they’re also for evacuation and finding the wounded and they’re fucking vital.

KSE Foundation: similar to the above, KSE has multiple projects you can choose from to donate to. looking at it right now, one of the projects with the lowest amounts of money raised thus far - despite being started in April - is Seeds for Ukraine, which will help Ukraine recover from the ecological devastation Russia has been wreaking (and with Ukraine, the countries that rely on Ukraine’s grain exports that Russia keeps trying to steal).

Come Back Alive: do these guys even need the introduction? they’re Come Back Alive. I’m kissing all of them.

United24: Zelenskyy’s brain child, and the official fundraising platform of Ukraine. Mark Hamill recommends the fundraisers for drones in particular.

UAnimals: Nova Kakhovka’s zoo got... pretty much completely swept away. all zoo residents except the birds have drowned. UAnimals has tried throughout the occupation to keep the animals safe, and they’ve been reporting on the status of the zoo. I don’t really know what to say except that I hope they’re able to save the pets and strays in the towns along the river.

You can find NGOs specific to evacuation efforts in this post; please signal boost it as well. I’ve listed them but am leaving the links for the op post.

Ukrainian FireFighters Foundation

Helping To Leave

VOSTOK SOS

[goodassmotherliker]

All day, I have been doing my best to avoid manipulations regarding the consequences of russians blowing up Kahovka HPP Bridge, but as the catastrophe unfolds, grim understanding kicks in. Many elderly people and people with mobility issues were not able to evacuate before the water flooded their houses. We won't know the extent of the losses until or if the water recedes. Same with domestic animals, animals from the zoo, and rare wildlife species. Thousands of people in the South of Ukraine are losing their homes and being displaced as I am writing this in Kyiv.

Meanwhile, the water washes away mines planted by russian soldiers, and they detonate uncontrollably, floating in the current. Also, russians continue to shell the region to hinder the evacuation efforts of Ukrainian authorities.

Fertile lands are being lost to the flood. This is a huge blow to Ukrainian agriculture and a direct threat not only to ourselves but also to the livelihoods of many countries in the Global South dependent on Ukrainian crops.

The Southern regions of Ukraine are about to face technical and drinking water shortages. Some parts are controlled by Ukraine and may count on humanitarian support. Others are currently under russian occupation, i.e., completely on their own in the face of devastating, life-threatening tragedy.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently occupied by russians, is likely to lose a lot of water used for its cooling systems. russians have also been intimidating and torturing its staff, who stayed there to avert nuclear catastrophe amid the occupation.

This is hell. We can only hope to save as many lives as possible. No country would inflict something so monstrous on itself. Please do not be fooled by the so-called ambiguity promoted by russian propaganda and some Western media. Kahovka HPP Bridge has been mined by russians for months and overlooked by the allies of Ukraine despite frequent warnings by our authorities.

This is a russian doing. This is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. This is an act of terror and ecocide sponsored by the russian people.

[anastasiareyreed]

russia is a terrorist state!

russians have caused another disaster. an environmental disaster. another heinous crime. the russians destroyed the hydroelectric power plant dam in Ukraine.

before destroying the dam, the russians raised the water level to a record-high 17.5 meters by keeping the gates closed. deliberately to cause as much destruction as possible. the power of the stream is incredible, the water destroys even tower cranes, it is scary to imagine what happens to people and animals.

there are already known cases of terrible deaths of animals in zoos and eco-parks, domestic animals that people didn't have time to save, animals that cannot be saved, stray animals, cats and dogs that drowned helplessly and continue to drown because people don't have time to save everyone.

someone's homes and lives destroyed, thousands of people at risk of drowning, Ukraine and Ukrainians once again suffer from russian terrorism. how can russia chair the UN Security Council? how does the world still tolerate russians and do business with russia? I'm asking you, please spread the word, don't be indifferent. we fight every day for our freedom and independence! for the freedom of the world! support us in the fight against evil. russians are murderers and terrorists. russia must be stopped!

[anoonimthepoorchad]

I really need everyone to work together and get Ukraine to the trending hastags so that everyone can see the results of one of the tonight's russian air raid.

First of all, the air raids began as early as 2 A.M., when everyone was asleep at their homes, including me. There were drone attacks even before that, starting at 9 P.M., but they reached Kyiv around 2 A.M., and the drone danger lasted until 4 A.M. 35 drones were launched by russia and destroyed by our defenses, including Kyiv and other regions. Around that time we already knew that russia had launched guided missiles — long distance missiles that take hours to reach the Ukrainian borders and then can change their direction at any moment, making them unpredictable and hard to shoot down. But we had some time to rest until they came close enough to be dangerous, so everyone tried to get at least a bit more sleep.

Then, at 6 A.M. the real terror began. Guided missiles from one side, more and more were launched after that, and sonic missiles were launched as well. Loud explosions from all sides, debris falling over the city, it was loud and dangerous as hell. An apartment block was hit, a fire caught on because of the damage, civilians had to be evacuated immediately. Debris landed onto streets, around parks, a lioness in the local zoo got contusion from the burst wave of the debris piece landing 300 meters away from her cage. Everyone is receiving medical help, both humans and animals.

Kharkiv city (east of Ukraine) was targeted as well, ballistic missiles hitting the city centre, apartment blocks, targeting civilians and their homes.

The air raid was over at 10 A.M. and by the evening the numbers reached 130 people wounded and 5 people killed in the air raid. In last 5 days russia has launched more than 500 drones and missiles towards Ukraine, targeting civilians. Tonight 99 different types of weaponry was used against people of Ukraine, from sonic ballistic missiles to guided missiles.

Important: all 10 of the sonic missiles were shot down by Ukrainian air defense using Patriot air defense complex. Ukrainian warriors are constantly showcasing perfect aim and usage of the gifted complexes, considering this type of missiles can only be neutralized by the Patriot complex. This shows not only perfect strength and devotion of our fighters, defenders of our people, but also the sheer need of these complexes in order to survive. Sonic missiles reach my city in 3 minutes after being launched thousands of kilometers away, so please, if you can, reach out to your government authorities in order to support our defenses with the needed weaponry.

And a moment of karma for the last: a russian missile, launched towards Ukraine, lost control mid-air and fell down on some village in voronezh oblast of russia. Finally russians got to experience the kind of terror they make us live in, by their own hands. I don't think they'll learn anything by this after all, but I hope for some kind of justice for everyone they've killed.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Brian Melley, AP News

13 January 2024

LONDON (AP) — An unlikely refugee from the war in Ukraine — a rare Asiatic black bear — arrived at his new home in Scotland on Friday and quickly took to a meal of cucumbers and watermelon.

The 12-year-old Yampil was named for a village in the Donetsk region where he was one of the few survivors found by Ukrainian troops in the remains of a bombed-out private zoo.

Yampil, who had previously been called Borya, was discovered by soldiers who recaptured the devastated city of Lyman during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, said Yegor Yakovlev of Save Wild, who was among the first of many people who led the bear to a new life.

The bear was found in a menagerie that had long been abandoned by its owners.

Almost all the other animals had died of hunger, thirst or were struck by bullets or shrapnel and some were eaten by Russian troops.

Yampil narrowly missed the same fate, suffering a concussion from a projectile that landed nearby.

“The bear miraculously survived,” said Yakovlev, also director of the White Rock Bear Shelter, where the bear recovered.

“Our fighters did not know what to do with him, so they started looking for rescue.”

What followed was an odyssey that your average bear rarely 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, where he spent the past seven months, before landing in the United Kingdom.

Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, Scotland, said his heart broke when he learned of the plight of the threatened Asiatic black bear.

“He was in terrible condition; five more days and they wouldn’t have been able to save him,” Curran said. “We were just so amazed he was still alive and well.”

The bear was skinny but not malnourished when he was found, said Frederik Thoelen, a biologist at the Nature Help Center in Belgium.

He now is estimated to weigh a healthy 440 pounds (200 kilograms), Thoelen said.

The nature center in Belgium, which usually treats injured wildlife and returns them to their natural settings, has taken several animals rescued from the war in Ukraine, including a wolf, a caracal cat and four lions, though those animals had not experienced the ordeal Yampil endured.

It was remarkable how calm Yampil was when he arrived in Belgium, Thoelen said.

The bear was trained in the past two weeks to move from his enclosure to the crate that would transport him across Belgium to Calais, France, then across the English Channel on a ferry to Scotland.

Pastries from a local bakery were used for good measure to lure him Thursday into the cage, where he was sedated for the journey.

“We want to use the food that he likes most, and for most bears — and for people also — it’s sweet, unhealthy foods,” Thoelen said.

Thoelen had a sense of the bear’s weight as he drove the crate to the port.

“Every time when we had a red light or a traffic jam, when the bear moved a little bit, you could feel the van moving also,” he said.

“You could feel it was a heavy animal in the back of the car.”

Yampil arrived at the zoo about 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Edinburgh and immediately made himself at home.

He feasted on cukes — said to be his favorite food — and melon, said Adam Welsh, who works at Five Sisters.

The Asiatic black bear is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable to extinction in the wild, where it can be found in central and southern Asia, Russia, and Japan.

It’s known for the distinctive white crescent patch on its chest that gives it the nickname moon bear. It can live for up to 30 years in zoos.

It’s not clear if the bear will go into hibernation. The winter has been warmer than usual but colder days are on the horizon.

The zoo has other bears, but Yampil is the only Asian bear and unique in other ways.

“We’ve had circus bears, for example, that have been rescued,” Welsh said.

“We’ve had bears rescued from places like roadside restaurants where they’ve been used as kind of roadside attractions and been kept in subpar conditions. But this is the first time that we’ve worked with an animal that’s been rescued from a war zone.”

Scottish zoo welcomes black bear which survived war in Ukraine

13 January 2024

🖤🐻🤎

[merrymorningofmay]

you know, my empathy is pretty fucked up by now and objectively harrowing things like bombings, mass death, torture camps or deportations yield very little emotional reaction, but every now and then comes some fairly insignificant thing that just gets me all over again

today i can’t stop thinking of yesterday’s news about russians cutting down a centuries-old oak tree in Zaporizhzia oblast

get it, it wasn’t “bandera’s oak tree”, it wasn’t “shevchenko’s oak tree”, it wasn’t symbolic of anything – just a really old tree in a village most ukrainians haven’t heard of

and not only they cut it down (for firewood, allegedly), but went through the trouble of laying stones on top of it so it doesn’t grow back

because at the end of the day, that’s what it all has been about – to not let us have nice things. to not let us have a language, or poetry, or a home, or food, or a museum, or a well-equipped hospital, or a fucking raccoon in a zoo, or a big tree. lest we forget our place as their “beloved little brothers”

[ksenka-zarazka]

turn up the volume and listen to these cries. this used to be a zoo “Kazkova Dibrova” in Nova Kahovka, housing around 300 animals. it is reported to be fully submerged under water now. animals could not be evacuated because the land around the zoo was mined by russians (it is currently in occupied territories). many if not all animals died from drowning and i wish russians the same fate. russia delenda est.

UPD: a Ukrainian animal activist organisation UAnimals spoke to the administration of the zoo, they confirmed that animals drowned except for swans and ducks. “We tried so hard to keep the zoo alive in occupation but now it just doesn’t exist anymore”.💔

[ohsalome]

Ivan and Phoebe by Oksana Lutsyshyna

Ivan and Phoebe is a novel about a revolution of consciousness triggered by very different events, both global and personal. This is a book about the choices we make, even if we decide to just go with the flow of life. It is about cruelty, guilt, love, passion – about many things, and most importantly, about Ukraine of the recent past, despite or because of which it has become what it is today.

The story told in Oksana Lutsyshyna’s novel Ivan and Phoebe is set during a critical period – the 1990s. In the three decades that have passed since gaining independence, Ukraine has experienced many socio-political, economic, and cultural changes that have yet to be fully expressed. The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 marked a pivotal moment in the country’s history, as it signaled a shift towards European integration and a strong desire to distance itself from Moscow. Prior to this, Ukrainian culture had remained overshadowed by Russian influence, struggled to compete for an audience and was consequently constrained in exploring vital issues.

77 days of February. Living and dying in Ukraine

"77 Days," is a compelling anthology by contributors to Reporters, a Ukrainian platform for longform journalism. The book, published in English as both an e-book and an audiobook by Scribe Originals.

"77 Days'' offers a tapestry of styles and experiences from over a dozen contributors, making it a complex work to define. It includes narratives about those who stayed put as the Russians advanced, and the horror they encountered, like Zoya Kramchenko’s defiant "Kherson is Ukraine," Vira Kuryko’s somber "Ten Days in Chernihiv," and Inna Adruh’s wry "I Can’t Leave – I’ve Got Twenty Cats." The collection also explores the ordeal of fleeing, as in Kateryna Babkina’s stark "Surviving Teleportation '' and "There Were Four People There. Only the Mother Survived." 

It also highlights tales of Ukrainians who created safe havens amidst the turmoil, such as Olga Omelyanchuk’s "Hippo and the Team," about zookeepers safeguarding animals in an occupied private zoo near Kyiv, and one of Paplauskaite’s three pieces, "Les Kurbas Theater Military Hostel," depicting an historic Lviv theater turned shelter for the displaced, including the writer/editor herself.

In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine 1900’s – 1930’s

This book was inspired by the exhibition of the same name that took place in Madrid, at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and is currently at the Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany. 

Rather than being a traditional catalogue, the publishers and authors took a more ambitious approach. Rather than merely publishing several texts and works from the exhibition, they choose to showcase the history of the Ukrainian avant-garde in its entirety – from the first avant-garde exhibition in Kyiv to the eventual destruction of works and their relegation to the "special funds" of museums, where they were hidden from public view.

These texts explain Ukrainian context to those who may have just learned about the distinction between Ukrainian and Russian art. Those "similarities" are also a product of colonization. It was achieved not only through the physical elimination of artists or Russification – artists were also often forced to emigrate abroad for political or personal reasons. Under the totalitarian regime, discussing or remembering these artists was forbidden. Archives and cultural property were also destroyed or taken to Russia.

"The Yellow Butterfly" by Oleksandr Shatokhin 

"The Yellow Butterfly" is poised to become another prominent Ukrainian book on the themes of war and hope. It has been listed among the top 100 best picture books of 2023, according to the international art platform dPICTUS.

The book was crafted amidst the ongoing invasion. Oleksandr and his family witnessed columns of occupiers, destroyed buildings, and charred civilian cars. Shatokhin describes the book’s creation as a form of therapy, a way to cope with the horrors. "During this time my vision became clearer about what I wanted to create – a silent book about hope, victory, the transition from darkness to light, something symbolic," he explains.

Although "The Yellow Butterfly" is a wordless book, today its message resonates with readers across the globe.

A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails by Halyna Kruk

A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails is a bilingual poetry book (Ukrainian and English) about war, written between 2013 and 2022, based on Halyna’s experience as an author, volunteer, wife of a military man and witness to conflict. 

The Ukrainian-speaking audience is well-acquainted with Halyna Kruk – a poet, prose author and literature historian. Kruk is increasingly active on the international stage, with her poetry featured in numerous anthologies across various languages, including Italian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, English, German, Lithuanian, Georgian and Vietnamese. 

For an English-speaking audience, her poetry unveils a realm of intense and delicate experiences, both in the midst of disaster and in the anticipation of it. The poems are succinct, direct, and highly specific, often depicting real-life events and individuals engaged in combat, mourning, and upholding their right to freedom.

[fate221]

My homeland is drowning

On June 6th r*ssian army blew up Kakhovska HPP in Ukraine after it being mined by them since autumn. It’s not only another russia’s terroristic crime against humanity - it’s a global catastrophe, one of the biggest ecological and humanitarian disasters in the east of Europe. The consequences can be compared with the explosion of the nuclear bomb. It’s still hard to believe that my people have to go through of this, civilians specifically on the east have been bombed, occupied, stolen from, had to spent months without electricity and now a flood made them lose their homes. This is so damn unfair and my heart hurts for them every day, these people have been through too much pain and evil already. My relatives house was also flooded, just month since russia killed their daughter on Easter. And not only people suffer, a lot of animals and pets died because of the flood, a lot of cultural heritage - destroyed. And that’s only the beginning of the problem. The consequences to ecology are huge and horrifying, some of them we don’t even acknowledge yet.

It honestly drives me crazy to see people who actually easy swallow russian propaganda and think Ukraine did it with its own citizens, while Ukrainian officials literally YELLED that russians mined Kakhovska HPP since freaking november. While russians keep ignoring the danger telling that everything is okay but meanwhile shelling people who try to evacuate. While the whole zoo of 300 animals was flooded, caused terrible death to all of them, but russian media just said that “there was no zoo in Nova Kakhovka”. This is beyond evil and I have no idea how there’re people who still didn’t understand it. Their military came to our land destroying everything, killing people and animals without a thought, they blew up the dam because they were afraid Ukrainian army will kick them out, without caring about civilians or ecology. Well, why should they care, they can’t even care about their own people, their nature. Freaking monsters.

I beg you please share the info about what happened, tell the world that russia did it, this is the only way to justice, they have to pay for all the pain of Ukrainian people. Currently russian propaganda works fast and tries to hide the facts, but the dam was under russian occupation since last year, and mined by them for more than half of the year. The world has to see who did all of this and make them to pay.

Here’s the full info about the consequences of this disaster

Help us spread the word!

[dreamlingforukraine]

Charities

Below are some recommended charities for donations for our fundraiser @dreamlingforukraine. These organizations are personally vouched for as being legitimate by @wintersmitth (Ukrainian Dreamling friend and resident of Kyiv) and verified by @quillingwords (someone who does due diligence for a living). All take direct bank transfers and three take PayPal.

Helping to Leave: charity with a focus on evacuations - their mission is to keep Ukrainians safe and meet their immediate needs. They operate under all circumstances and are currently focused on helping the flood-affected areas.

United24: established by President Zelenskyy and the official fundraising platform for Ukraine. Their work covers various areas, from defense to rebuilding to arts and sciences.

Hospitallers Medical Battalion: combat-zone medical service comprised of paramedic volunteers. They continue to operate in areas where ceasefire agreements are not honored (where other humanitarian groups had pulled out) and currently need funds for vehicles and equipment.

UAnimals: animal rights organization that help animals in Ukraine - anything from displaced pets to farm animals to animals in zoos. Their work is critically important now given the damage done by flooding.

These organizations are all confirmed to be doing excellent work on the ground. However, if you would prefer to donate to a different organization that is of course very welcome! In that case, please provide some information on them when confirming the commission just so we can confirm they’re appropriate for the cause.

[octuscle]

Hey man, heard you found my suitcase to BER.

If it's stacked with leather, smokes, party favors and that kind of stuff.. I didn't put it in there! I swear! I was planning to go on a quiet travel to berlin.. i dont know how they got there!

Hey, I'm not judging. And just because of the leather pride flag on the side and the handcuffs as a luggage tag, I don't make any assumptions about the contents of the suitcase. If you need tips for Berlin: The exhibition "Contemporary Ukrainian Art in Times of War" at the Bodemuseum is supposed to be good. And the forest reindeer at the zoo have a new breed. Maybe that's something for you?

However, I find the reaction of your body when you take the suitcase in your hand a bit strange. Your shirt turns black. And the pants are made of black leather. Both fit tighter and tighter. Because the clothes are getting tighter. But also because your muscles are growing. You look good!

Tell me, are your nipples pierced…? I mean, there's suddenly something visible. And somehow your hairstyle is starting to change… Very short shaved sides and neck. But your three-day beard is slowly becoming a stable full beard. Your fancy long-sleeved shirt starts to shine more and more. And the sleeves dissolve into thin air and reveal your magnificent tattoos. Your suitcase doesn't have a good influence on your travel plans. And maybe the zoo and museum island are not so interesting now. Get in touch if you need other tips. Although by now you look like you know exactly what you want to do during your trip.

[crown-and-stallion]

oohhh. Please feel free to elaborate on wildlife and cheronbyl.

So basically in the years following the reactor meltdown, the Chernobyl exclusion zone has become an unexpected haven for wildlife. There are now a lot of animals there: deer and foxes and the like, but also a lot of species that are really rare in other parts of Europe, like European bison. There are actually so many boar and wolves that they've started to spread into nearby areas.

A pair of Wolves. Note the houses behind them.

Wisent, or European bison. They're threatened or endangered in many areas.

There are quire a few dogs and cats still in the area, from pets who unfortunately got left behind. Dogs of Chernobyl is an offshoot of the organization Clean Futures Fund, which has been doing a lot to care for the animals, providing food and medication, and to my knowledge a few of the animals have been able to be adopted.

Thats' the reactor sarcophagus right behind him.

My favorite part is the fact that the Chernobyl exclusion zone is home to the only population of Przewalski's horses outside of Mongolia and China. They were introduced by a wildlife reserve in the late 90's in the hopes of improving biodiversity in the area. Przewalskis horses are the last truly wild horses (horses that have never been domesticated by humans) and they were extinct in the wild for most of the 20th century.

House for Horses

They've adapted pretty well to the zone, and they've even been seen using abandoned buildings as shelter!

As far as science goes, there's been some research into the ecology of the zone (a lot of it has been lost or put on hold now, due to the war). There's so much that we don't know about how the radiation effects the animals generation to generation, and how long term radiation exposure effects ecosystems as a whole. The radiation seems to be less of a danger than one might think, but there's a lot we don't fully understand.

As somebody who is studying conservation medicine in graduate school, this is something that really inspires me, and I would love to be involved with this kind of research and rewinding someday.

I tried to keep it short lol. Here's some good links if you'd like to read more. I can link scientific papers if anybody is interested too.

I'd also recommend following chornobyl_reserve on instagram: it's the official account of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, the reserve area of the zone. It's all in Ukrainian but they have stunning photos illustrating the diversity of the area.

And finally: right now, the animals and people in Chernobyl are in danger. If you're in a place to donate or provide assistance, this page has resources where you can help a number of reserves, protected areas and zoos during the war.