The post of director of Odesa Zoo was given without competition

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.

<b> </b>This was reported by <b>Anastasia Bolshedvorova</b>, a deputy of the Odesa City Council, who questioned the transparency of this decision<b>.</b>

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.

According to her, the absence of an open appointment procedure raises questions not only about the legality, but also about possible backroom influence on personnel policy in the city. Of particular concern is the fact that the management of the municipal institution was actually handed over to a representative of a private zoo, which may indicate the risks of concentration of influence in the hands of one organization.

In her appeal, the MP also hinted at the possible interest of certain groups in establishing control over the zoo and raised rhetorical questions about the role of the so-called "activists" who had previously criticized the institution's activities. In her opinion, their activities could be used to achieve certain goals.

At the same time, she emphasized that in the context of war and a limited budget, the city needs real solutions to support the zoo, including finding funding for infrastructure development. Instead of criticizing, the deputy believes that efforts should be directed at attracting resources, including from abroad.

So far, no official reaction from the city authorities regarding the appointment procedure and the possible competition has been made public.

A day earlier, 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.

In his address, he emphasized that over the years of his leadership, he managed to significantly change the zoo for the better. According to his assessment, these changes are visible to the citizens, but at the same time, there are still many unresolved problems that require attention and further solutions.

Анна Бальчінос