Accent figured out what's next for the Odesa Zoo

Odesa Zoo is once again in the spotlight. After many years of work, Ihor Bilyakov left the position of director - his contract was not renewed.

In this issue of Accents, we found out what is known about the decision of the city authorities, why some Odessans demand Bilyakov's return, who is associated with the new appointment, and why this story again mentions the possible future of the zoo.

In his place, Oleksandra Shvets, who was previously the first deputy director of the zoo, was appointed as acting director. At first glance, this is an ordinary personnel change, but in Odesa it caused a wave of discussions, rumors, support and criticism.

A separate issue is the open competition for the position of director, in which, according to Bilyakov himself, he is ready to participate. The city council assured that all stages - from the creation of the Supervisory Board to the appointment of a new director - would be as open and transparent as possible with public involvement.

Recently, a scandal erupted in Odesa over the appointment of a new zoo director, who was handed over without an open competition. The decision has already raised suspicions about the possible influence of private entities and attempts to establish a monopoly.

The position of the director of the Odesa Zoo was transferred to an employee of the private structure Biopark-Nemo without a competition, a commission or an official announcement of the selection of candidates.

On April 15, Ihor Bilyakov announced the completion of his work as director of the Odesa Zoo. According to him, the contract has expired, and he is no longer in charge of the institution to which he has devoted a significant part of his life.

The ex-director also emphasized that he does not plan to completely leave his life's work. He assured that he would continue to support the Odesa Zoo and contribute to its development, even outside of his official position.

Кирило Бойко