Animals Evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast as Enclosures Damaged Amid Russian Shelling

Cheetahs were evacuated from their damaged enclosure at Feldman Ecopark in Ukraine, affected by shelling during Russia’s invasion of the country.

Video posted by Feldman Ecopark on April 8 shows damaged infrastructure inside the park. The cheetahs seen in the footage were evacuated before their enclosure was struck and are settling into a temporary dwelling near Poltava in central Ukraine, the park said.

It is unclear when the cheetah enclosure was damaged. On April 5, the park said shelling had devastated the park.

Over 80 animals including great apes, lions, white tigers and jaguars had been evacuated from the park by April 8, with many being sent to Kharkiv Zoo, the park said.

In a further post, the park said most animals “were in a safe place now” and “doing well.” However they said “lots of our animals, including large predators, remain in the territory of the Ecopark which [has been] regularly under shelling for a month and a half.” Credit: Feldman Ecopark via Storyful