Yampil, a 12-year-old Asiatic black bear, has been relocated to his new home in Scotland after being injured in a zoo shelling incident in Ukraine. The bear was given his name after being found in the village of the same name and survived the attack in the Donetsk region when most other animals in the zoo were killed.
Initially transferred to an animal sanctuary in Belgium, the bear’s journey eventually led him to the Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian. Despite traveling 690 miles, Yampil appeared relaxed and was even snacking on his favorite food of cucumbers. However, the bear will be closely monitored to see if he exhibits symptoms similar to that of post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The bear was concussed by shellfire in October 2022 and discovered by soldiers in eastern Ukraine. Zoo staff revealed that the bear’s journey to Scotland was “fairly complicated,” traveling through Poland before arriving in Dover. Nevertheless, they remain optimistic about his recovery.
Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo, expressed his heartbreak over the sight of the concussed bear and pledged to raise funds to cover the cost of building a new enclosure for Yampil. The Asiatic black bear is classified as a vulnerable species by conservation groups, with fewer than 60,000 of them remaining in the world.
Yampil will remain in temporary accommodation while staff monitor his progress. The zoo has set a target of raising £200,000, with over £60,000 raised to date
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