In Odesa, zoo threatens volunteer with court for video with raccoon

In Odesa, a volunteer posted a video of a sick raccoon from a petting zoo, after which the facility threatened her with a lawsuit and demanded that she remove the video. The situation caused a wave of outrage.

This was reported by volunteer Anzhelika.

The other day, the volunteer published a video in which she talks about the inadequate conditions in which a sick raccoon is kept in one of Odesa's petting zoos. Because of this, the administration of the institution began to threaten her with legal action.

The institution claims that the video allegedly damages their reputation and contains false information about the conditions in which the animal is kept. They demand that the volunteer delete the video and record a new one with a previously agreed text.

The scandal erupted after a blogger posted a video of a raccoon in the zoo that looked exhausted and apathetic. The post and video have received more than five million views on social media. The animal is shown with teary eyes and almost no movement.

Later, Anzhelika posted an audio recording of a former zoo employee's testimony. The woman worked there in 2019 under the previous director. She told, among other things, about cases of animal deaths. Intent, in turn, asked the zoo for an official comment.

On August 2, several Odesa residents protested near the City Center shopping center on Heavenly Hundred Avenue, demanding that the petting zoo be closed due to the situation with Lucik.

The protesters were holding posters with slogans in support of the animal and criticizing petting zoos as a phenomenon. The post and video, which shows the exhausted raccoon with slow movements and a touching look, have garnered more than five million views.

Last year, animal rights activists appealed to the police and the minister over the death of a leopard in one of Odesa's zoos. The activists demanded that law enforcement officials provide detailed information about the incident, during which police shot the animal after it attacked a zoo employee.

Анна Бальчінос