Lion Returned to Restored Enclosure as Vasilyevka Zoo Begins Repairs

Overview

• Regional authorities say drones attributed to Ukrainian forces struck the facility on December 13, damaging multiple enclosures and buildings.
• The six-year-old lion Neo, previously wounded by shrapnel, was released from temporary housing into a restored outdoor pen and is reported in normal condition.
• Restoration work is underway with the YugMolodoy volunteer movement delivering building materials, according to the regional governor.
• The director says repairs could take a couple of weeks with qualified help and that some structures, including the monkeys’ winter house, must be rebuilt from scratch.
• Staff had sheltered animals in winter quarters during repairs at the rehabilitation center, which houses more than 50 large predators and other species.