Helping animals with concussions and wounds from shelling wasn't the kind of work veterinarian Viktor Vorotnikov imagined in his childhood dreams. But this is the reality he shared with us in our conversation.

Meet the bears Synochok, Liubochka, Chada, and Mykhasyk, as well as their half-wolf neighbor, Nymphadora. They were once treated as objects: kidnapped from their dens, forced to perform in circuses, confined to cramped cages, sold and resold. Now, they live in spacious enclosures with semi-natural conditions. Finally, they have a choice.