Russian drone strikes Ukraine zoo killing animals just months after attack wiped out rare bird population
Officials said one drone hit the zoo grounds, sparking a fire
A Russian drone struck enclosures at the zoo in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv on Monday, killing rabbits and inflicting stress on other animals.
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Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the drone hit an area described as a vivarium where hundreds of rabbits, Guinea pigs, rats and mice were housed.
A statement on Telegram said 10 rabbits were killed and 15 were injured.
The statement said an elephant was suffering from stress after the strike damaged the outside of its adjacent enclosure.
There were no casualties among staff or visitors.
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Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said Russian forces used drones to strike the city’s Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts.
Officials said one drone hit the zoo grounds, sparking a fire, while debris also fell on a nearby road.
The attack follows an earlier strike on an eco park outside Kharkiv, where staff said a large number of birds were killed.
On 1 January, Russian forces hit Feldman EcoPark near Kharkiv with a guided aerial bomb, destroying winter shelters and causing heavy losses among the park’s rare bird population.
According to the park’s founder, Oleksandr Feldman, most of the parrots and pheasants housed there were killed.
Several larger animals, including lions, were also injured.
Kharkiv, around 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been repeatedly targeted throughout the more than four-year war.