It has been 15 hard months for the giraffes at Mykolajivs Zoo.
But now the zookeeper Svitlana can breathe a sigh of relief.
– Now there is enough food and water. So they are doing well, she says.
Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, was right on the front line for a long time and endured numerous Russian attacks. In addition, for nine months there was no functioning water system, and the power went out often.
For a long time the situation was uncertain.
For the city’s zoo, the largest in Ukraine, it posed big problems. Especially when Russian robots could land in the middle of the park.
– It was horrible. The sirens sounded and shells flew over us. And we still had to go to work because if we don’t go, who will take care of the animals? says the zookeeper Svitlana.
“Almost forget the war”
Volodymyr Topchyi has been the director of the zoo for 45 years. Suddenly he was standing there with 4,000 animals – without water, electricity or secure supplies of animal food. For long periods, he and the other employees were forced to sleep in the park.
But with the help of the city’s residents and a lot of international support, including from zoos around Europe, it worked.
Despite the zoo’s proximity to the front line, it is open to the public. And for many it has become an oasis.
– We who are here in Ukraine from time to time are quite often asked if it is possible to forget the war sometimes. And now I can say that here, in Mykolajiv’s zoo, here it is almost possible to forget that there is a war going on, says TV4’s reporter Jona Källgren on the spot.