Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, October 4. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
15.09.2023 - 16:56 / edition.cnn.com
An Asiatic black bear, which endured severe trauma in a zoo in Russian-occupied 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, which had been under Russian occupation. They found that almost all of the 200 animals at the zoo had been killed.
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, 20 miles west of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, early next year.
Dogs of war: the conflict in Ukraine is displacing pets as well as people
Russia’s 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,” Romain Pizzi, Five Sisters’ head veterinarian, told CNN.
Speaking on a videocall from outside Yampil’s enclosure at the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife-rescue charity in northeastern Belgium, he said: “There are many species like the Asiatic black bear who are really intelligent.”
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 center, 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 needs and they’ll be specific to him, depending on what trauma he’s gone through and what maladaptive behaviors he may have developed in that time,” Pizzi adds.
Outrage as mother of biscuit-stealing bear cub shot dead in Italy
The zoo, which has rescued bears and other animals in the past but mostly from circuses and roadside restaurants, first heard about Yampil through Natuurhulpcentrum.
“I was quite emotional about it and it’s kind of unimaginable some of the stuff that he’s gone through,” Curran told CNN. “And so we were really keen to do our best to make sure that we create a home for the rest of his life and no
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, October 4. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Whether you want unique interior design, world-beating food, incredible value or simply a chance to escape the world for a day or two, you’re guaranteed a memorable stay at every one of our 42 winners and runners-up.
For the tenth time, the Algarve, in southern Portugal, has been voted as “Europe's Leading Beach Destination” at the 2023 World Travel Awards. No other destination has won this award, which honors travel and tourism, so many times. The other top shortlisted beach destinations included: Cannes, France; Corfu, Greece; Costa Navarino, Greece; Mallorca, Spain; Marbella, Spain; Porto Santo Island, Madeira and Sardinia, Italy.
On the EU’s frontline, bordering both Ukraine and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Poland has been much in the news of late.
When my partner and I travel together, we usually opt for city breaks.
I've lived in Scotland my entire life, but until recently I had never visited the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.
The Eagles in the fall, the South 9th Street Italian Market Festival in the spring, ice skating at Dilworth Plaza in the winter or strolling Independence National Historical Park in the spring – Philadelphia is a city graced with all four seasons.
Air France-KLM will add up to 90 new long-range Airbus A350 aircraft to its fleet in the coming years, under an order unveiled Monday.
Between Estonia and Lithuania lies the unspoilt parkland of Latvia.
As the leaves start turning, Delta Air Lines is already gearing up to whisk you away for your dream summer vacation.
Thousands of locals are protesting a US developer's plans to transform a Scottish village into a playground for the ultrawealthy.
A passenger on a United Airlines flight that dropped 28,000 feet in around 8 minutes last week told The New York Post that she sent a text to her daughter because she thought she was going to die.