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By Robyn White
Nature Reporter
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A lion found "skinny and hungry" in Ukraine has been rescued after heavy shelling descended on the surrounding area.
Animal welfare charity UAnimals said on Facebook that the lion named Akeru was rescued from a private property in the city of Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
"There are quite a lot of such animals in Ukraine, and since the beginning of the full-scale war, we have rescued several dozen wild animals and hundreds of domestic and domestic animals from the war zone," a spokesperson for UAnimals told Newsweek.
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The lion had lived in the private home all his life, the charity said. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the family that owned him evacuated and he was left alone.
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Soldiers found him on the property "skinny, hungry and tired."
Rescuers from the charity evacuated the lion to the Wild Animal Rescue Center in the Kyiv region. The charity said he is being "cared for" and "getting the necessary nutrition and care." He also "slowly recovering from the horrors he experienced," the shelter said.
Akeru is not the first wild animal to be rescued from Ukraine as the war rages on.
In January, a lion was found in "extremely severe" condition while living in a small enclosure in the Sumy region of Ukraine. When the lion was rescued, he could not use his back legs and was unable to walk.
There are many exotic big cats living as pets across Ukraine. Unregulated breeding of lions and other cats for the exotic pet trade was an ongoing problem before the war. Animal welfare charities had been looking to tackle the situation before the war broke out, but when it began, all efforts refocused on evacuating them. Many were rescued at the beginning of the war, but there are many left to save.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare estimated in October 2022 that there could be at least 200 lions living in private homes that are still in need of rescue.
"In addition to Akeru, the rescue center has 14 more big predators," UAnimals said on Facebook. "And for us it's not just a number, but 14 very complex and painful stories. These animals are victims of exploitation, Russian invasion and human betrayal."
The charity is working to raise funds for a complex of wildlife enclosures that will allow them to rescue more wild animals across the country.
Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about animals in Ukraine? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.
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