Donetsk bear adopted by Scottish zoo dies after medical procedure

Yampil, a bear that was evacuated from a zoo in Donetsk Oblast in 2022, has died after not waking up from anesthesia, Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland announced on July 13.

The Asian black bear was rescued from an abandoned zoo on the outskirts of the village of Yampil in Donetsk Oblast, when Ukrainian forces liberated the village in October 2022.

Yampil was one of the only animals left alive in the park and was found starving, filthy, and close to death.

He was initially housed at a wildlife refuge in Belgium and was then rehomed to Five Sisters Zoo in January 2024.

Five Sisters Zoo said in a statement that a "wonderful new habitat had just been completed for him."

"Prior to the move to his new enclosure this morning, Yampil was anesthetized for further treatment for his health problems, which were worrying the team."

"Sadly, anesthetizing 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," Five Sisters Zoo said.

Five Sisters Zoo has previously rehomed animals from circuses, including lions and European brown bears.

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When Ukrainian soldiers were entering the village of Yampil in Donetsk Oblast after five months of Russian occupation, they discovered an abandoned zoo on the outskirts. Dozens of animal corpses, either killed by Russian troops or dead of starvation, were lying throughout the zoo’s territory. But i…

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko