An unlikely refugee from the war in Ukraine — a rare Asiatic black bear — arrived at his new home in Scotland on Friday and quickly took to a meal of cucumbers and watermelon.
The 12-year-old Yampil was named for a village in the Donetsk region where he was one of the few survivors found by Ukrainian troops in the remains of a bombed-out private zoo.
Yampil, who had previously been called Borya, was discovered by soldiers who recaptured the devastated city of Lyman during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, said Yegor Yakovlev of Save Wild, who was among the first of many people who led the bear to a new life.
Animals who spend significant amounts of times in zoos can’t survive in the wilderness, if that’s what you meant. Ones that are taken in for rehabilitation are kept in specific environments so as to not get used to captivity and for as short a time as possible so they don’t get used to it.
The “obvious” thing for soldiers in a warzone would be to euthanize an animal with more complicated needs. They went above and beyond to get the creature out.
“Recruit Yampil, we do not eat the Russians. DO NOT EAT THE RUSSIANS! … it’s junk food.”
animals shouldn’t be used for warfare… so I’m glad he got moved. but I am going to amuse myself with instructions specific to the bear all the same. (also, that sounds like an “interesting” van ride they had there.)
Edit : or….
“Bear?”
“Check.”
“Bear armor?”
“Check.”
“Chain gun?”
“Check.”
“Grenade launcher?”
“Check.”
“Advanced turret mount with automatic eye tracking and bear-adapted Voice Attack profiles?”
“Check.”
“Russian targets?”
“…uh…”
“Russian targets?”
“They seem to be fleeing, sir.”
“That the fourth time! How are we gonna test project Ursa if they keep running away? You know those drone guys got another warship? Right?!”
That’s Private Wojtek to you!
https://time.com/4731787/wojtek-the-bear-history/