Ukrainian Gorilla Tony Needs You Too

For the 4000 animals at the Kyiv Zoo, Putin’s mad invasion has been stressful to say the least. There are more than 200 species shivering in place – including elephants, camels, and Ukraine’s only gorilla, Tony.

“The war is causing terrible stress for the animals, so some of them have been moved to indoor enclosures and underground galleries,” Kyiv Zoo CEO Kyrylo Trantin said in a Facebook post. “Veterinarians monitor their emotional state and, if necessary, provide a sedative.”

Trantin noted that evacuating the animals was not on the table; there are too many of them, and the logistics of such an operation are impossible to navigate. Information on the zoo’s website reflects both desperation and resilience:

“The care of the animals does not stop – the zoo staff is [on site] 24 hours a day. Animals are frightened by the loud sounds of explosions, but our veterinarians are constantly monitoring their condition. We get a lot of questions about Tony – the only gorilla in Ukraine. He is now in the inner gallery of the Island of Animals. We try to communicate with him as much as possible, because Tony began to miss the visitors. His physical condition is normal.”

The Kyiv Zoo is nothing if not resilient. The place has been around since 1907, so it has seen the Nazis and Soviets come and go. Let’s hope it can survive Putin’s crazed plan to remake his twisted version of tsarist Russia.

From the zoo’s home page at zoo.kiev.ua, scroll down to “How to support our zoo and animals.” And follow their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/zoo.kyiv.ua

Photo credit: AP Photo