An Asiatic black bear, which endured severe trauma in a zoo in war-afflicted Ukraine, is set to be adopted by a zoo in Scotland.

In October 2022, according to posts on a Ukrainian rescue center’s social media, Ukrainian soldiers entered the abandoned zoo in the village of Yampil, Donetsk, and found that almost all of the 200 animals at the zoo had died.

A 12-year-old bear was one of the few left alive. He, too, was badly injured — he had been concussed when a shell had exploded near his cage and was just days away from dying, according to a statement released by the Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland.

Now, Yampil — named after the village where he was found — will get a new start in life as he is set to be adopted by the Scottish zoo, after a rescue operation that has so far taken him across the European continent from Ukraine to Poland to Belgium.

He will head to his new home, 32 kilometers west of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, early next year.

War in Ukraine has displaced and killed animals as well as people, as refugees have been forced to leave behind their pets while fleeing, and it has become near impossible to care for animals in zoos.

“War and conflict…is a horrible thing and it’s very traumatic for people. It’s often forgotten that it’s traumatic for animals as well,” said Romain Pizzi, Five Sisters’ head veterinarian.

“There are many species like the Asiatic black bear who are really intelligent,” he added. Animals, like people, can suffer long-term consequences from trauma, and require specialist care. On Monday, Pizzi and the zoo’s head carnivore keeper, Gary Curran, visited Yampil at the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife-rescue charity in northeastern Belgium, where he is getting the chance to “de-stress” and being monitored for any health problems.

“We want to make sure that what we build for him as a sanctuary enclosure in Scotland is going to meet his specific needs, depending on what trauma he’s gone through and what maladaptive behaviors he may have developed in that time,” Pizzi said.

The zoo said in a statement that it will require an investment of around £200,000 (US$249,000) for Yampil’s new enclosure, and it is inviting people to donate to help it reach this total.

Yampil is a “gentle bear,” Pizzi has observed so far, adding that the staff at the zoo are hopeful that they can give him a good life in Scotland, where he can become “a happy, normal bear.” The zoo has rescued bears and other animals in the past but mostly from circuses and roadside restaurants.(SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【难民】nànmín refugee a person who flees to a foreign country to escape danger or persecution

【圈】juàn enclosure an area surrounded by fences or walls

一只动物园里的亚洲黑熊在饱受战争蹂躏的乌克兰遭受了严重创伤，即将被苏格兰一家动物园收养。

乌克兰救助中心在社交媒体上发帖说，去年10月，乌克兰士兵进入位于顿涅茨克扬皮尔村的废弃动物园，发现园里 200只动物几乎全部死亡。

一只12岁的熊是为数不多的幸存者之一。苏格兰五姐妹动物园发表声明说，这只熊也受了重伤 —— 一枚炮弹在笼子附近爆炸造成它脑震荡，差点儿死去。

这只熊叫扬皮尔，以它故乡的村子命名，它将被苏格兰动物园收养开始新生活。此前的救援行动带着它跨越了欧洲大陆，从乌克兰到波兰再到比利时。

它将于明年初前往位于苏格兰首府爱丁堡以西32公里处的新家。

乌克兰战争不仅使人流离失所，也让动物丧命，难民们在逃难时被迫留下宠物，动物园里的动物几乎无法得到照料。

五姐妹动物园的首席兽医罗曼•皮齐说：“战争和冲突......是一件可怕的事情，给人们造成了极大的创伤。人们常常忘记，战争也给动物留下创伤。”

他补充说：“很多物种，比如亚洲黑熊，真的很聪明。”

“动物和人一样，也会因创伤造成长期伤害，需要专业护理。”本周一，皮齐和动物园的首席肉食动物饲养员加里•柯伦前往比利时东北部的野生动物救助慈善机构“自然中心”探望了扬皮尔。

皮齐说：“我们希望确保在苏格兰为它建造的庇护所能够满足它的特殊需求，根据它经历的创伤以及表现出的不适应行为为它量身定制。”

动物园在一份声明中说，建造扬皮尔的新家需要大约20万英镑（24.9万美元）的投入，因此呼吁人们捐款，希望他们能帮助动物园筹集到足够资金。

经过一段时间的观察，皮齐说扬皮尔是一只“温顺的熊”。他补充说，动物园的工作人员希望能苏格兰的新家带给它美好的生活，让它成为“一只快乐、正常的熊”。

动物园过去曾救助过熊和其他动物，但大多是从马戏团和路边餐馆救出来的。

(Translated by Debra)