Ukrainian zoo worker rescues rare tapirs from city of Kharkiv
April 5, 2022, 7:52 am

Ukrainian zoo worker rescues rare tapirs from city of Kharkiv

Tapir is a rare mammal that has lived on Earth for 20 million years (File photo: Pixabay)

The Newsweek reported that a zoo worker evacuated Ukraine's only family of tapirs, a rare mammal that has lived on Earth for 20 million years, from the devastated city of Kharkiv on Saturday.

It said that the Feldman Ecopark zoo shared a video of the rescue on Facebook, taken by the worker who drove the animals out of the city. From the driver's seat of his van, the man grinned while updating community members on the rescue, before panning to show the three tapirs on a bed of hay behind him. The video was later reposted on Twitter, where it has been viewed 1.2 million times.

Yana Gaidai of Feldman Ecopark told Newsweek: "The rescue operation was very sophisticated," adding that "We found a cargo van and made [it] bulletproof with hard armor plates. Our brave volunteers transfer animals along country roads to bypass military checkpoints."

Russian assaults on Ukraine (File photo: Euromaidan Press )

The Newsweek confirmed that the zoo, like most of Kharkiv, has sustained heavy bombing and shelling since the first day of Russia's invasion on February 24. Kharkiv was the second-most populous city in Ukraine and home to nearly 1.5 million people before the war began. Other than the besieged southern port of Mariupol, no other city has suffered worse bombardment from Russian forces.

Gaidai said that three staff members at the zoo have been killed and dozens have been wounded while trying to feed their animals. Almost 100 animals have also been killed.

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Feldman Ecopark first appealed for help with the tapirs on March 27. In a Facebook post, the zoo asked community members who cared for the "only tapir family in Ukraine that has a cub" to send donations for evacuating, feeding and temporarily housing the animals.

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On Saturday, the zoo said many people had written to inquire about the fate of the tapir family. The Facebook update said: "We answer everyone. Dalma, Pinto and Dolly were taken out of the danger zone and sent to the Poltava region, where a temporary home was prepared for them."

Gaidai added that the tapirs took the move well and are settling into their new home. Volunteers have brought them fruits, grain, vegetables and hay.

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Newsweek reported that the same zoo worker who drove the tapirs out of Kharkiv previously evacuated several kangaroos in his van.

Source: newsweek

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

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