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The British know how to have a good time and can tell some of the most fascinating tales. After raising funds through crowdfunding, a British military veteran was able to transport a lion and wolf from Ukraine.
Three friends made the difficult decision to travel 1,200 miles to save a lion and wolf from a Ukrainian zoo.
Tim Locks and two pals embarked on a four-day quest to rescue the animals from their confinement 20 kilometers from the frontline with Russian soldiers in the country’s south east.
The crew used a crane to hoist the creatures out of their enclosures, then loaded them into a Ford Transit van and drove to Radauti, Romania, where they securely transported the animals to a zoo. The 1,200-mile voyage through a war-torn country will live long in the memory.
Tim, the story’s protagonist and a British army veteran, heard about the animals in need of help and thought he was the right guy for the job
Tim, a 45-year-old British military veteran who previously fought ISIS alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq, is the story’s protagonist.
He was in Lviv at the time, hoping to help as many people as possible, which gets us to where we are now in the story. Tim learned about the challenging issue involving a lion and wolf from a conservationist he met in a hotel and believed it would be the perfect task for him and his friends.
The lion Simba and the wolf Akela were looking forward to the arrival of the men.
The crew calculated how the animals would fit into the van using the cage specifications. They left with supplies for the residents still in Zaporizhzhia, including toiletries, nappies, and infant formula.
They passed through a variety of Ukrainian checkpoints on their 600-mile journey eastwards before arriving at the former visitor attraction, driving around the clock and taking shifts behind the wheel.
When they arrived, they discovered that the lion, Simba, had already been caged, and that the wolf, Akela, had been drugged and placed in another container by a vet.
The animals were well-cared for by a veterinarian, who sedated and crated them for a comfortable and stress-free travel.
The animals were transported from their enclosures to the Ford Minivan using a crane and digger.
The animals were then loaded into the back of the van using a crane and a JCB excavator. The crane driver and digger driver didn’t speak a word of English, and they didn’t speak Ukrainian, according to Tim. It took three hours to accomplish the task. Thankfully, an interpreter was present to translate everything, and the cages fit perfectly, leaving little room for anything else.
Tim recalled that they were given a police escort as they left the city, and that air raid sirens were blaring. They had only 35 minutes until the curfew began.
“We kept reminding each other that we’d got a lion and a wolf in the back of the van as we were driving and glancing back to see that there they were, just over our shoulders,” they said.
Although the lion does not appear to be impressed by their efforts, we certainly are! Tim estimates that the entire surgery took 3 hours.
Once they were on the road, Tim sent a few updates on how they were trying to care for the lion by feeding it.
They shared an update in the middle of their journey to Romania, showing them attempting to feed the jungle king. “My buddy put his f’ing hand in the lion’s cage and gave the lion food,” he says, as Tim encourages him to place another large piece of meat in the cage.
As he approaches the offerings, inspects them, and chews at them leisurely, the men praise the lion “good lad.” If any lion specialists were doing things incorrectly, he apologized and explained that it was the first time he’d ever carried a lion in his van. That’s reassuring, I suppose.
Imagine looking out the window at the surroundings and seeing nothing but lions in the backseats of people’s automobiles. It appears to be insane, but that’s beside the point; let’s go back to the story!
The cargo certifications did not amuse the police at Ukrainian borders until they saw the creatures for themselves, “like Aslan from Narnia.”
They proclaimed their cargo as ‘a lion and a wolf’ at checkpoints as they drove through severe Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities, with one guard informing the men there was a war on and there was no time to play around. Tim claimed that he led the officer to the van’s side, opened the door, and showed him this proper large lion, “like Aslan from Narnia.”
They met a vet after crossing the Romanian border, who spent two hours filling out paperwork. Then they went to the zoo in Radauti, a city in northern Lithuania. As the trio accumulated hundreds of miles, police assisted them by providing a blue-light escort. In a challenging operation, they employed a forklift and the assistance of 20 Romanians to transport the animals into their new home.
Despite the obstacles piled against them, they were successful in completing their task and rescuing the animals.
“No one imagined we’d be able to pull it off,” Tim remarked, but they did, and the animals appeared delighted about it. They were so delighted that they stayed behind for biscuits and tea before seeing the rest of the zoo.
They hoped to help more animals, but moving and assisting animals across borders is becoming increasingly difficult. According to Tim, there are many teams that look after people, but no one else wanted to aid the animals, therefore it was their task.
I’m not sure why people can’t envision transporting a live tiger and wolf in the back of their automobiles, but knowing that there are people like Tim who are up for the challenge is comforting.
Their mission is noble, as Russian bombing of Ukrainian zoos is not uncommon.
The need for such missions arises from the fact that zoos are being targeted by Russian forces, leaving animals isolated with few options for hiding.
After most of its personnel were either evacuated or joined the military to battle Russian invaders, a zoo in Mykolaiv, close to where Tim and his pals escaped, has sought for international help to keep its animals alive.
Volodymyr Topchyi, the director of the Mykolaiv Zoo, stated in a Facebook post earlier this month that the zoo is in “wartime mode.” Despite the howl of the air raid sirens, he said, they go to work, feed, and clean the animals every day.
Volodymyr requested that people consider purchasing e-tickets to the zoo to help support it financially throughout the war. According to its website, the park is home to polar bears, hippos, lions, wolves, elephants, zebras, primates, and many other creatures, all of which have become potential targets of war.
Zookeepers are doing their best to comfort nervous animals, and European countries have generously sent supplies.
The zoo, like the rest of the city, has been shelled by Russian forces, but the director has decided to stay and help the stressed animals.
Volodymyr stated in a video interview with Voice of America last week that tickets to the zoo were sold out a month in advance and that the donations from around the world had affected him. They’d also had a big donation of food and medical supplies from zoos all throughout Europe.
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria announced that it was assisting the zoo, as well as many others in Ukraine, with financial assistance.
More animal and human bloodshed might be expected as the fight progresses. We hope that a majority of the people can be saved and that the war can be ended soon.
The map depicts the locations of Ukraine that have been attacked by Russian military. Two places are highlighted near the Black Sea at the bottom of the map, indicating the sites of both zoos referenced in this tale.
Even while the help we’ve received has given us hope for the future, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done to prevent avoidable animal and human bloodshed.
Consider using some of the options given here to help Ukraine during this tough time. Otherwise, I’d like to hear what you have to say. Would you be willing to put a lion or wolf in the back of your car to save their lives?
Consider entering “dumplings” in the comments to show your appreciation for the people who spent time researching and creating the stories for your pleasure and good cheer. If we get enough of these, I’ll buy a few for myself and my coworkers to share.
People are both enthralled by the story and appalled by the war that is killing
innocent people.
Article Source – Bored Panda
