A bear rescued from an abandoned zoo in Ukraine where it had been hit by shells has been saved and relocated to a zoo in Scotland.<br /><br />The Asiatic black was discovered when Ukrainian soldiers entered the village of Yampil which had been under Russian occupation for five months.<br /><br />The village contained a zoo which once held over 200 animals – but black bear Yampil was one of the only survivors of the invasion.<br /><br />Yampil was scared and injured – he had been concussed by an exploding shell, and his team believes he wouldn’t have survived another week.<br /><br />Staff at Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian in Scotland heard about Yampil from Belgian charity, Natuurhulpcentrum, which cared for the bear while a home was found for him.<br /><br />Arrangements were made to transport the bear to Scotland – and after travelling 690 miles over 12 hours, Yampil arrived at his new home today (Fri).<br /><br />Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo, said: “We are so pleased to say that Yampil has arrived here safe and well, and is settling in perfectly in his forever home here with us. <br /><br />“When we were made aware of the awful treatment and conditions Yampil was subjected to, our hearts broke; we were just so amazed he was still alive and well. <br /><br />“When the volunteers found Yampil, a shell had not long exploded near his cage, and he was concussed. <br /><br />“He was in terrible condition; five more days and they wouldn’t have been able to save him. <br /><br />“Bears, just like people, can suffer mental health issues similar to post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after they’ve been through something really traumatic. <br /><br />“That’s why we have the best team on hand to care for him and help make this transition as peaceful and calm for him as possible.”<br /><br />Now, Five Sisters Zoo are fundraising to finish construction of a permanent enclosure for Yampil.<br /><br />The zoo have raised £60,000 through their efforts so far, and are hoping to reach their target of £200,000, which will be used to fund Yampil’s specialist enclosure, care and upkeep.<br /><br />Staff at the zoo are grateful for the money raised so far through donations from individuals and for the materials donated from local businesses used to construct the enclosure.<br /><br />“We have rescued bears before and have some terrific facilities,” said Brian Curran.<br /><br />“However, Yampil is the first rescued Asiatic black bear we will care for, and he requires a whole new enclosure to match his special needs. <br /><br />“That’s why Yampil is now settling into a temporary enclosure where he will continue his recovery or go into hibernation.<br /><br />“This will give us time to continue to fundraise for his permanent enclosure and work on building this with the support of our community.<br /><br />“We are well aware of the cost-of-living crisis and of people’s difficult financial situations, but should anyone be in a position to help, we would really welcome their support and generous donations”.<br /><br />To join Five Sisters Zoo in this extraordinary endeavour to build Yampil’s forever enclosure in Scotland, please visit the zoo’s website and fundraising appeal here: https://fivesisterszoo.co.uk/yampil-the-bear-rescue-fund.
