At night of February 13th Lion Simba was rescued and taken from the Mowgli mobile zoo in Severodonetsk, Lugansk region, Kharkiv zoo managers reported.

 “A car from Kharkiv arrived at night. It was a special vehicle with heating", Natalya Duletova, activist of animal protection movement, said: “It is now very cold in Severodonetsk, and we had to combine our efforts to move Simba inside the vehicle. The most difficult task was to open the cage – it was last opened in August. But due to our joint efforts, Simba left for Kharkiv at midnight. We are very happy for him and that we have managed to rescue him".

The lion is now kept at a closed pavilion for predators in the Kharkiv zoo.

Veterinarians said the lion’s condition was critical: his skin was frostbitten on his legs and scrotum, his tail was broken and his muzzle hurt, he had  hernia and throat abscess.

“As soon as Simba arrived, we provided his with first medical aid, put him inside a warm cage, did parasite treatment, and provided his with food and water", Oleksiy Grygoriev, Kharkiv zoo director, said. “The lion was between life and death. In the mobile zoo he was kept in extremely bad conditions, whole winter in an open-air cage where he could hardly move and was freezing. Simba started eating and drinking as soon as he saw food and water". 

Simba was transported to Kharkiv due to combined efforts of state authorities of Kharkiv and people of Severodonetsk who collected UAH 1,500 in a day.

“However, a lot of animals are still being kept in the mobile zoo, including the animals listed in the Red List, which cannot be used for commercial purposes and are protected by the Bern Convention and the CITES", Kateryna Polyanska, NECU, commented. “The brown bear kept in this zoo is protected by the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. The bear and the wolf are included into the European Red List of Threatened Animal Species. Further investigation is also needed to find where the animals were taken from. Taking animals from another country requires relevant permits under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora”.

“The mobile’s zoo owners, Nonna Ratia and Tariel Pipia, are unbelievably cynical. Local businessmen and people bring food for the animals – meat, fish and vegetables – but they are required to pay UAH 20 for entering the zoo”, Natalya Vyshnevska, NECU, reported.

Despite the ongoing inspection of the mobile zoo and documents, its owners are still making money on the suffering animals!

National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) reiterates to the state authorities, Ministry of Internal Affairs and General  Prosecutor’s Office that the zoo’s owners have broken a number of Ukrainian laws, including but not limited to:

1. Law of Ukraine On Animal Protection From Cruel Treatment (article 4, 7, 8,18 and 25); 

2. Criminal Code of Ukraine (article 299);

3. Administrative Offence Code (article 89); 

4. Law of Ukraine on Ukraine’s Red List (article 19);

5. Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (article 6, Appendix II, article 7, Appendix III);

6. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 

We are calling upon everybody who can contribute to solving this issue. All captivated animals need immediate rescue and to be moved to a temporary location with proper conditions.

For more information:

Natalya Vyshnevska, National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (Kyiv), tel. 098 257-6176, nvishnevskaya@ukr.net,

Oleksandra Samorodova, public initiative People for Animal Rights (Donetsk), tel: 095 388-02-23, 4yvakin@gmail.com

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