Ukrainian animals find safety in Poland (Gallery)

A group of animals traveling from a sanctuary east of Kyiv arrived in Poznan Zoo on Thursday

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have fled through the border to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. And while extremely challenging and dangerous, the process is still feasible for humans. Unfortunately, as citizens and institutions were caught by surprise, some of the most vulnerable creatures on the planet – zoo animals – were left stranded in a very difficult situation.

Luckily, all hope is not lost for animals in captivity, at least as this success story demonstrates. The zoological garden of the Polish city of Poznan yesterday reported the safe arrival of six lions, six tigers, two caracals and an African wild dog from Ukraine. They all travelled for two days in a cargo truck, from a sanctuary east of Kyiv.

As Reuters reports, the owner of the sanctuary has asked for help to protect the animals and was welcomed with open arms by Zoo Poznan. Despite the hardship over the journey, which included many detours to avoid Russian tanks and destroyed roads, taking much longer than expected, the animals eventually arrived in Poznan in good health, as you can see in the Gallery above.