Directors from six Ukrainian zoos attended the international forum ZOOFanatika, which took place at the Lubin Zoo (Poland) from April 11 to 13, 2025.
The Ukrainian zoo community was represented by:
- Volodymyr Topchyi (president of AZU, director of Mykolaiv Zoo)
- Yevhenii Van (Cherkasy Roshen Zoo)
- Oleh Pavliuk (Rivne Zoo)
- Liudmyla Denysenko (Lutsk Zoo)
- Serhii Kostiv (Limpopo Zoo)
- Ihor Biliakov (Odesa Zoo)
This year's ZOOFanatika focused on supporting Ukrainian zoos.
“Ukrainian zoos are currently in an extremely challenging situation. The initial wave of solidarity from Europe has noticeably decreased. Meanwhile, the financial conditions of Ukrainian zoos are even worse than at the beginning of the war. The situation is complicated not only due to lack of funds but also due to many other negative factors,” stated the organizers of ZOOFanatika.
On the first day of the meeting, Volodymyr Topchyi presented on “Ukrainian Zoos in Wartime.” The Lutsk, Mykolaiv, and Cherkasy Roshen zoos showcased videos illustrating how zoo teams tackled the challenges posed by war.
A traditional event at ZOOFanatika is an auction featuring artifacts related to zoo operations (publications, souvenirs, etc.). This year, all proceeds from the auction were donated to support Ukrainian zoos. One of the auction items was a fragment of a missile warhead that struck the premises of Mykolaiv Zoo.
During the meeting at Lubin Zoo, Volodymyr Topchyi awarded a commemorative plaque for the “120th anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo” to the director of Warsaw Zoo, Andrzej Kruszewicz, who was one of the founders of the PANDA fund that supported our zoos since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Meetings with Czech Colleagues
After the event, representatives of Ukrainian zoos met with their Czech colleagues.
In particular, at the Prague Zoo, Volodymyr Topchyi presented a commemorative award “Order of Leontovych” to the zoo director Miroslav Bobek. Our colleagues had the opportunity to explore a new gorilla exhibit and learn about the construction of a large Arctic Exhibit (budget — €50 million).
To conclude their trip to ZOOFanatika, the directors of AZU visited and interacted with their colleagues at the Safari Park “Dvůr Králové.” In this famous zoo, the Ukrainian directors were introduced to the okapi exhibit. The zoo director, Mr. Přemysl Rabas, shared his experiences regarding the preservation and reintroduction of white rhinos.
At the end of the meeting, AZU President Volodymyr Topchyi presented a commemorative award “120th anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo” to his colleague.
