Over the past 15 months, despite the Russian occupation, its inhabitants Zoo Kazkov Dibrov in the south of Ukraine they fought and managed to protect all living creatures.

The park around the zoo woozy and the roads that led there Excluded, which makes the removal of animals impractical. Every day, the rangers, despite the dangers and Russian bullets, crossed the Dnieper to feed the animals.

However, it was not only the self-sacrifice of educators. And the locals helped in every way they could to save the animals. During the winter, one of the volunteers took in many animals that would otherwise not have survived the cold. Moreover, peasants and other residents brought zarzavats – cabbages, apples, pears, pumpkins – and straw to feed two monkeys, a pony, a mule, a parrot, a crow, a beaver, guinea pigs and ferrets.

However, what survived the war was destroyed by flooding after the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine.

300 animals died today at the Novokakhovka Zoo due to Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam.
This is ecocide.
The Russians want to destroy all life. pic.twitter.com/OlTdQMLkuT

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 6, 2023

Tuesday morning, when his men managed to get to the zoo, they found the area flooded and over 300 animals dead. The only creatures that managed to survive were swans and ducks.

“The disaster is terrible, the pain is unbelievable,” the residents of the garden wrote in a Facebook post, adding that they did everything in human power to save their animals, but in vain.

Ukraine, Nova Kakhovka: zoo flooded due to hydroelectric explosion, all animals died @KyivPost pic.twitter.com/5rCyH22ic0

— Important (@Limportant_fr) June 7, 2023

The death of the animals was also confirmed by Alexander Todorchuk, head of the organization UAnimals, which rescues, cares for and rehabilitates animals during the war.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency RIA reported, citing Moscow-appointed Novaya Kakhovka Mayor Vladimir Leontyev, that “thousands of animals” had been killed in the Nizhnedneprovsky National Nature Park and that the extent of the destruction was “enormous.”

All animals died in the Novokakhovka Zoo 💔

He completely went under water, only swans and ducks managed to escape @UAnimalsENG #StopEcocideUkraine#RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/7X0UOSsJlM

— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) June 6, 2023

Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the destruction of the dam, although it is currently unclear who is responsible for the collapse, which flooded areas and forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Independent experts say the dam may have collapsed due to previous damage and heavy pressure.

Source: Washington Post.