"Our beloved Yampil": bear rescued from Donetsk Oblast dies in Scottish zoo

An Asiatic black bear called Yampil, who was rescued by Ukrainian soldiers under Russian attacks in October 2022, has died in his new home in Scotland.

Source: Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland, where Yampil had lived since January 2024

Details: The zoo's staff explained that the bear did not survive the anaesthesia used during the treatment.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking passing of Yampil, our beloved Asiatic black bear.

Prior to the move to his new enclosure this morning [13 July – ed.], Yampil was anaesthetised for further treatment for his health problems which were worrying the team.

Sadly, anaesthetising animals always carries risks, and Yampil did not recover from the procedure and despite the best efforts from our veterinary team, we were unable to resuscitate him," the zoo said.

The Bila Skelia Bear Shelter, where the bear nicknamed Yampil lived for a while after being rescued from Donetsk Oblast, expressed condolences over his death.

"Yampil-Borya went to the rainbow in his new home in distant Scotland. He survived the destruction of the menagerie in Ukraine twice due to war – in 2014 and 2022.

These two years he was surrounded by care and we are grateful to everyone for their efforts and love. This is a painful story, but it is a story about love," the shelter staff said.

Background: The Asiatic black bear was discovered by Ukrainian soldiers in a private shelter in the village of Yampil, Donetsk Oblast, under Russian bombardment. The bear was in an abandoned private zoo, where nearly all of the 200 animals had died from starvation or attacks by that time.

It turned out that Yampil had been injured when a shell exploded near his cage.

Ukrainian soldiers turned to animal volunteers for help to take the bear out of the war zone.

UAnimals activists helped to transport the sick bear to the Lutsk Zoo for rehabilitation, and later, he was transferred to Poland and then to Belgium.

Eventually, Yampil found a permanent home in the Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland in January 2024.

"When we were made aware of the awful treatment and conditions Yampil was subjected to, our hearts broke; we were just so amazed he was still alive and well.

We have the best team on hand to care for him and help make this transition as peaceful and calm for him as possible," said Brian Curran, the owner of Five Sisters Zoo.

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