Chimpanzee escapes Ukrainian zoo and wanders around the city

Ukrainian citizens were treated to some much needed comic relief on Monday when volunteers helped an escaped chimpanzee don a yellow raincoat and wheeled it back to his enclosure on a bicycle. 

The pesky primate named Chichi was seen bounding through the streets of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, having escaped from the city’s zoo, Feldman Ecopark.

He tore around the city centre, which has endured some of the most brutal bombardments from Russian forces of the war thus far, before being tracked down by zoo workers.

Bystanders feared the workers would struggle to corral the powerful animal but the potentially dangerous situation was quickly defused when one woman sat down beside Chichi and took off her bright yellow raincoat.

The zoo worker draped the coat around the chimp’s shoulders, helping him to delicately manoeuvre his arms into the sleeves as though preparing a child for the school run as rain started to fall.

Moments later, she helped the chimp clamber atop a bicycle which workers wheeled back through the streets to the delight of passers-by before returning Chichi to his enclosure.

Zoo director Oleksiy Grigoriev said the animal was safely returned.

The zoo worker draped the coat around the chimp’s shoulders, helping him to delicately manoeuvre his arms into the sleeves

The worker embraced the animal before a pair of colleagues came with a bicycle to transport him back to Feldman ecopark

The chimp clambered atop a bicycle which workers wheeled back through the streets to the delight of passers-by, delivering the animal safely to the zoo

A destroyed car is pictured in front of a damaged residential building, in Saltivka, one of the most damaged residential areas, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine September 6

As Ukraine’s second city and an important military and administrative centre, Kharkiv has been the target of relentless air strikes, rocket attacks and artillery barrages since Russian troops crossed the border on February 24.

Ukraine’s army has managed to maintain control of the city, driving Russian troops back towards Donetsk, but Kharkiv’s close proximity to the Russian border means it continues to endure regular aerial assaults.

Feldman Ecopark suffered a direct hit in a Russian rocket attack earlier in the war which killed more than 100 animals and six volunteers who were attempting to evacuate the premises, according to owner Oleksandr Feldman. 

The zoo is now up and running again and is providing daily care for the animals who reside there – though the attraction remains closed to the public as attacks on the city centre continue.

Feldman said that although the animals have been returned to the zoo, shelling has damaged their enclosures and they are no longer safe.

A local resident walks by a street market destroyed by military strikes, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Saltivka, one of the most damaged residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine September 6, 2022

‘Refugees in Ukraine are not only people, but also animals. They also suffer stress from the war, they are also sad at home and dream of returning,’ Feldman ecopark owner Oleksandr Feldman said

A local resident walks by a street market destroyed by military strikes, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Saltivka, one of the most damaged residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine September 6, 2022

In a series of recent Facebook posts, Feldman discussed the effect of the war on the health of the animals under the care of his staff.

‘Animals suffer from war no less than people… The recipe for the rehabilitation of war animals is quite simple – it is love and care. And a peaceful sky above your head.

‘Refugees in Ukraine are not only people, but also animals. They also suffer stress from the war, they are also sad at home and dream of returning. 

‘Just like us, they need warmth, love and care. I feel this all the time and try to walk our animals as often as possible.’