Yampil, an Asian black bear previously evacuated by UAnimals from a private zoo in the eponymous liberated settlement in Donetsk region, was moved from a Belgian Natuurhulpcentrum to the Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland on January 12th.
Frederic Thoelen, a zoologist at the Natuurhulpcentrum, explained that they have previously transferred bears to this zoo, so they have a partnership.
“Yampil is doing well. He is living in a temporary outdoor enclosure, which is already much bigger than with us. But in a few weeks, he will move to an even bigger enclosure because, with temperature rise [outside], the bear will become more active. So, we are very happy with this,” added Frederic.
In the zoo, veterinarian Romain is responsible for Yampil’s health. He has worked with hundreds of Asian black bears in rescue centers in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam over the past 14 years. He closely monitors Yampil’s health: “For the first time, we went to Belgium to the Natuurhulpcentrum three months before he arrived [at Five Sisters Zoo], so we could evaluate his overall physical and mental health. He was in good body condition, and relatively calm, although very cautious of everything — understandable with everything he went through”.
Afterwards, the zoo staff maintained constant communication with the Belgian Natuurhulpcentrum to stay informed about changes in Yampil’s health. Currently, they have a concern that the bear may have damaged one of his teeth and plan to perform anesthesia to provide the necessary treatment.
“We usually work with a team of specialist dentists, who have performed root canals on previous bears we have rescued before (although these have been brown bears). The zoo has experience with rescuing 6 brown bears over the years previously, so have a good idea of their health needs,” explained Romain. “We don’t want to anaesthetise Yampil immediately after his arrival, as we need to build trust with him, and want to have his stress levels as low as possible. It is also generally advisable to avoid bear anaesthesia at this time of year, as they often slow down to hibernate and so do not metabolise anaesthetics as well and take longer to recover afterwards. Currently, we plan to monitor Yampil closely and see if he shows any problems (which he hasn’t so far) then anaesthetise Yampil when we move him to his permanent enclosure which the zoo is building”.
The veterinarian, together with dentists, plans to conduct a comprehensive medical examination of the bear under anesthesia, including X-ray and ultrasound examinations and blood tests. This will provide detailed information about his health to better care for him in the coming years.
Yampil was rescued by the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the de-occupation of Lyman and nearby villages. He was one of the few animals that survived in a private zoo in the Yampil village during the occupation by Russian invaders. He was sitting in a small enclosure without water and food, under shelling.
After finding the bear, Ukrainian soldiers sought help, and the UAnimals team facilitated the bear’s evacuation — first to the Bila Skelia rehabilitation center, and later to the Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium.
At that time, donors contributed over 200,000 hryvnias to UAnimals for the transportation of the bear and several lions abroad. Now, the Five Sisters Zoo is also raising money to arrange a better enclosure for Yampil. Over 70,000 pounds have already been collected.
Thank you to all the compassionate people who care about Yampil’s fate!
