Prosecutor's Office opens proceedings against director of Odesa zoo

The Prymorskyi District Prosecutor's Office of Odesa has opened criminal proceedings against the director of the Odesa Zoo, Ihor Bilyakov, who is charged with cruelty to animals .

This was reported by activists of the NGO UAnimals.

The activists filed a complaint with the police and appealed to the State Ecological Inspectorate regarding the cruelty to animals in the Odesa Zoo.

"The Odesa Zoo does not provide proper conditions for its animals. Numerous photos and videos are circulating in social networks, where we see exhausted, sick and even dead animals. UAnimals' lawyers filed a complaint with the police of Odesa region, after which the State Ecological Inspectorate conducted an unscheduled inspection at the zoo. They issued an order to eliminate the deficiencies and sent a request to the Ministry of Economy to make sure it was fulfilled. Currently, the State Ecological Inspectorate is waiting for an order from the Ministry of Economy to conduct a second inspection," the organization says.

Ihor Bilyakov himself denied the accusations, noting that numerous photos and videos distributed on social media are manipulations and were made deliberately with a choice of angle that distorts reality in order to form a negative attitude towards the utility.

Earlier, the Department of International Cooperation, Culture and Marketing, together with the Capital Construction Department, preliminarily calculated the approximate cost of completing the restoration of the Odesa Zoo. It will cost approximately UAH 1.6 billion.

Meanwhile, in September, experts from the State Ecological Inspectorate of the Southwestern District visited the private zoo Bio-Park in Odesa to verify information about the injured raccoon, which, according to activists, was kept in inadequate conditions.

Experts examined the animal and its place of detention, and ecologists concluded that the area of the enclosure where five raccoons live at the private zoo meets the requirements of the Procedure for Keeping Wild Animals in Captivity, in particular, the animals have shelter, water, fresh air and natural light.

Кирило Бойко