BION Terrarium Center – learning to survive!
The BION Terrarium Center, like other members of the AZU, continues to face the consequences of Russian rocket attacks. The director of the company, Dmytro Tkachev, tells how the BION team organized work in the conditions of a total blackout and the beginning of winter.
At the Reptile Breeding Center in Kyiv, electricity is provided unpredictably, but at least they provide it somehow.
We are waiting for electricity like a desert waiting for rain, and try to make the most of this time for feeding animals.
The building is insulated in advance in all possible ways.
Laboratories are heated by portable gas ovens.
We try to solve the problem with the purchase of a generator right now.
At night, we organize shifts to control the temperature regime and provide heating.
Purchased an emergency supply of water, feed and food for animals and employees.
The insect breeding laboratory of live insects and an important source of live food for our animals caused problems because of luck of heating.
Tropical species are at risk. We cannot provide them with optimal temperature conditions. We do everything possible.
The 2023 breeding program is also under threat. In addition to BION animals, animals from the Sergey Prokopyev Breeding Center, which was destroyed as a result of hostilities, are placed here.
Educational Center BION and its base in the Kyiv region. We evacuated the EXOLAND Zoo here in March 2022; large species of reptiles are kept here.
The electrical situation is critical. A powerful generator runs, on average, 18 hours a day.
Twice a month there were failures in his work.
The premises are heated by solid fuel heaters.
Special thanks to volunteers from local residents who are on night duty and provide heating for our animals: Anatoly Stadnichenko, Petr Pelykh, Grigory Bosiy, Oleg Demchenko. The support of Oleg Petrenko, who helps us with insulation and repair work, is invaluable. Thanks to our zookeepers!
“War is the absence of the sources, conditions and opportunities. High prices, limited possibilities, all new challenges…
We survived the first 9 months of the war only thanks to the consistent assistance of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums of Ukraine (AZU) and the support of the world zoo community. Thanks to Vladimir Topchy, President of AZU and Evgen Wan, Executive Director of AZU for selfless work and composure in a difficult situation. Thanks to colleagues for mutual help and faith in victory! We are responsible for those we have tamed. Learning to survive!” – says Dmytro Tkachev.
It was already told how volunteers from Germany support the Rivne Zoo.