​Five Sisters Zoo plan to house rescued Yampil is bearing fruit - Steve Cardownie

Brian and Shirley Curran, owners of The Five Sisters Zoo at West Calder, are hard at work as they attempt to raise £200,000 so that they can complete the new compound that they have planned to be the home of Yampil, the Moon Bear that was rescued from its war-ravaged zoo in Ukraine.
Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian has rescued and rehomed Yampil, an Asiatic Black Bear that survived the war and was saved from an abandoned zoo in Ukraine. Picture: Lisa Ferguson



 



When Ukrainian soldiers entered the village of Yampil, Ukraine, after five months of Russian occupation, they discovered an abandoned zoo on the outskirts. Out of nearly 200 animals at the zoo Yampil the bear was one of the few animals to survive the invasion. According to the United Nations, over 13 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of Russia's all-out war, including 7 million refugees and 6.5 million internally displaced. Countless animals were left behind, forced to fight for survival amid Russian attacks and cold weather.



 



Staff at Five Sisters Zoo – renowned for its rescue work and care for endangered animals – first heard about the bear from the Belgian charity, Natuurhulpcentrum, which cared for Yampil in the time between his rescue and looking for his permanent home. 



 



Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo, said: “We are so pleased to say that Yampil has arrived here safe and well, and is settling in perfectly in his forever home here with us. When we were made aware of the awful treatment and conditions Yampil was subjected to, our hearts broke; we were just so amazed he was still alive and well. When the volunteers found Yampil, a shell had not long exploded near his cage, and he was concussed. He was in terrible condition; five more days and they wouldn’t have been able to save him. Bears, just like people, can suffeFive Sisters Zoo in West Lothian has rescued and rehomed Yampil, an Asiatic Black Bear that survived the war and was saved from an abandoned zoo in Ukraine. Picture: Lisa Ferguson



 



When Ukrainian soldiers entered the village of Yampil, Ukraine, after five months of Russian occupation, they discovered an abandoned zoo on the outskirts. Out of nearly 200 animals at the zoo Yampil the bear was one of the few animals to survive the invasion. According to the United Nations, over 13 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of Russia's all-out war, including 7 million refugees and 6.5 million internally displaced. Countless animals were left behind, forced to fight for survival amid Russian attacks and cold weather.



 



Staff at Five Sisters Zoo – renowned for its rescue work and care for endangered animals – first heard about the bear from the Belgian charity, Natuurhulpcentrum, which cared for Yampil in the time between his rescue and looking for his permanent home. 



 



Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo, said: “We are so pleased to say that Yampil has arrived here safe and well, and is settling in perfectly in his forever home here with us. When we were made aware of the awful treatment and conditions Yampil was subjected to, our hearts broke; we were just so amazed he was still alive and well. When the volunteers found Yampil, a shell had not long exploded near his cage, and he was concussed. He was in terrible condition; five more days and they wouldn’t have been able to save him. Bears, just like people, can suffe
Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian has rescued and rehomed Yampil, an Asiatic Black Bear that survived the war and was saved from an abandoned zoo in Ukraine. Picture: Lisa Ferguson When Ukrainian soldiers entered the village of Yampil, Ukraine, after five months of Russian occupation, they discovered an abandoned zoo on the outskirts. Out of nearly 200 animals at the zoo Yampil the bear was one of the few animals to survive the invasion. According to the United Nations, over 13 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of Russia's all-out war, including 7 million refugees and 6.5 million internally displaced. Countless animals were left behind, forced to fight for survival amid Russian attacks and cold weather. Staff at Five Sisters Zoo – renowned for its rescue work and care for endangered animals – first heard about the bear from the Belgian charity, Natuurhulpcentrum, which cared for Yampil in the time between his rescue and looking for his permanent home. Brian Curran, owner of Five Sisters Zoo, said: “We are so pleased to say that Yampil has arrived here safe and well, and is settling in perfectly in his forever home here with us. When we were made aware of the awful treatment and conditions Yampil was subjected to, our hearts broke; we were just so amazed he was still alive and well. When the volunteers found Yampil, a shell had not long exploded near his cage, and he was concussed. He was in terrible condition; five more days and they wouldn’t have been able to save him. Bears, just like people, can suffe

​ Ukrainian troops, who had reclaimed a town in East Ukraine from Russian forces, found him huddled in a small cage that had been badly damaged by a Russian missile that had landed nearby.

After an arduous journey by road through Europe he eventually arrived at The Five Sisters Zoo last month. At the moment he has been housed in a temporary enclosure from which he will be moved to his new one on completion.

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A fund-raising dinner was held at The Dalhousie Hotel last Friday which raised £13,000 adding to the £70,000 already raised in money and in kind so they are nearly half way there to the £200,000 target.

The Five Sisters Zoo is really an animal rescue centre with the animals only being put on show to the paying public in order to pay for running costs and the like. The zoo’s head of education, Adam Welch told me that they take great pride in their education programme and he is anticipating around 80 school groups paying a visit over the summer.

He and his colleague Maria Lopez Flores, undertake the teaching duties as schools, both primary and secondary, universities and colleges throughout the central belt all avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in the programme.

Adam said that “sometimes there could be up to 11 coaches in the car park, but we take everything in our stride and ensure that everyone enjoys the experience.”

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Work is currently being undertaken to provide a modern indoor teaching facility which is nearing completion although classes are generally held outside, weather permitting, usually taking place outside the enclosures that house the animals under discussion, providing a more relevant teaching environment.

The zoo has recently taken delivery of 14 Humboldt penguins adding to the eight already there. Brian informed me that they were part of a breeding programme at a zoo in England and, should they successfully breed at The Five Sisters, he will send some to similar facilities elsewhere in the UK.

The species is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature ‘Red’ list with a population of 32,000 and falling with no recovery plan in place, and Brian, in concert with other animal rescue centres, is keen to play a small part in trying to preserve the species.

In the meantime Yampil is settling in at the zoo and is venturing out in his enclosure. Still a little wary of his new surroundings, he sometimes hastily makes his way inside if visitor numbers get too much for him, but he is increasingly becoming more trustful of his keepers and spending more time out in the open.

Given the drive and determination exhibited by zoo staff, although difficult, the targets they set will surely be met.

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