Six lions and six tigers from a shelter for abused animals near Kiev arrived in Poland on Thursday morning, a spokeswoman for Poznan Zoo which organised the evacuation told AFP.

The Ukrainian truck, which covered nearly 1,000 kilometres (over 600 miles) from Kiev to bypass the central region of Zhytomir which has been shelled by Russian forces, was also carrying two caracals and an African wild dog, Malgorzata Chodyla said.

The truck, which left on Tuesday, had to stop and stay parked all night when it came face to face with Russian tanks, she added.

At the border, the animals were transferred to a Polish lorry.

The undocumented animals were brought across the border legally thanks to a recent change in the international CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) procedure and with the help of Poland's chief veterinary officer, Chodyla added.

Poznan Zoo director Ewa Zgrabczynska, who worked on the evacuation, is in contact with several Western organisations keen to take in the animals.

She has also launched a fundraising campaign.

Despite the war, Natalia Popova returned to the Ukrainian shelter to care for 70 other animals, according to Chodyla.

Two years ago, Zgrabczynska organised the rescue of nine tigers close to death after they were stranded in an Italian truck at the Polish-Belarusian border or their way to a zoo in Russia.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

On the front line in Liberia's fight to save the pangolin
Gbarpolu County, Liberia (AFP) Feb 28, 2022
Clutching a single-barrelled rifle in lush northern Liberia, Emmanuel says his 10 children were able to get an education thanks to his gun. The small wiry man, whose full name AFP is withholding, ignores a ban on hunting bushmeat and earns most of his cash catching pangolins or monkeys in the surrounding jungle. In the dry season, Emmanuel waits for dark and then hikes into the jungle with his rifle and machete. Pangolins, scale-covered insect-eating mammals that are typically the size of a ... read more