Below are some before and after photos of the project we did for the bears and wolves in Kherson, Ukraine.
Any queries you may have regarding the photos or info below, please contact me on info@laeoukraine.org
We are continuing to support the animals in the zoo and are working with local authorities to keep them fed and healthy.
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The Bears at the Kherson Zoo on the Dnieper river, Ukraine.
After completion of the wolves enclosure we started on the construction of the bears new enclosure. The reason we did the wolves first was because the pack had been split and we needed to them back together as soon as possible. The building of both enclosures was a logistical nightmare as the zoo is situated on a small island that is only accessible by foot or boat. We had to bring in 30+ tons of sand and 35+ tons of gravel and this had to be brought in by barge and boat along with all the other materials including tons of metal. There is no dock to facilitate offloading and that added to the problems and cost of the project. Delivery by river is extremely expensive and then not having a dock, everything had to be done by hand and wheel barrow. We started building at the beginning of winter and temperatures got down to -18C and the river froze over. The ground also froze which made working extremely difficult but we continued throughout winter.
To the right and below you can see before and after photos of the bears enclosure.
The Wolves at the Kherson Zoo on the Dnieper river, Ukraine.
After starting the construction towards the end of summer 2014 and building into winter the Wolves were eventually released into their new enclosure which is now 112 sq/m as opposed to the 2 small cages (2 x 9sq/m) they were locked in. They now enjoy a much better life, it is not freedom but much much better than they had before. Unfortunately there are no wolf sanctuaries in Ukraine to which we could send them and they most definitely could not fend for themselves now. They have become  too dependent on us. We continue to feed them on a daily basis along with the other animals in the zoo. This currently costs around $40 a day excluding any emergencies, as in vet or maintenance bills.
Too the right are some before and below are after photos of the wolves.