Directors from six zoos, members of the Association of Zoos of Ukraine (AZU), attended the international conference ZOOFanatika held at the Lubin Zoo (Poland) from April 11 to 13, 2025.
The Ukrainian zoo community was represented by:
- Volodymyr Topchiy (AZU president, director of Mykolaiv Zoo)
- Yevheniy Van (Cherkasy Zoo Roshen)
- Oleh Pavliuk (Rivne Zoo)
- Ludmila Denysenko (Lutsk Zoo)
- Sergiy Kostiiv (Limpopo Zoo)
- Igor Bilyakov (Odesa Zoo)
This year's ZOOFanatika was special as it focused on supporting Ukrainian zoos.
“Ukrainian zoos find themselves in a very challenging situation. The initial wave of solidarity from Europe has noticeably declined, and the financial situation of Ukrainian zoos is even worse than at the onset of the war. The situation is complicated not only due to a lack of funds but also because of various other adverse factors,” the organizers of ZOOFanatika noted.
On the first day of the meeting, Volodymyr Topchiy presented a talk titled “Ukrainian Zoos in Wartime.” The Lutsk, Mykolaiv, and Cherkasy Roshen zoos presented videos demonstrating how their teams faced the challenges of wartime.
One of the traditional events at ZOOFanatika is the auction, where artifacts related to zoo operations (publishing products, souvenirs, etc.) are sold. This year, all proceeds from the auction were donated to support Ukrainian zoos. One of the auction items was a fragment of a cassette missile warhead that hit the Mykolaiv Zoo.
During the meeting at the Lubin Zoo, Volodymyr Topchiy presented a commemorative award for the “120th Anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo” to Warsaw Zoo director Andrzej Krushevich. Mr. Krushevich was one of the founders of the PANDA foundation, which has supported our zoological institutions since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Meeting with Czech Colleagues
After the conference, representatives of Ukrainian zoos met with their Czech colleagues.
In the Prague Zoo, Volodymyr Topchiy presented the commemorative sign “Order of Leontovych” to zoo director Miroslav Bobek. Our colleagues had the opportunity to explore the new gorilla exhibit and learn about the construction of the large Arctic Exhibit (budget — €50 million).
At the end of the ZOOFanatika trip, AZU zoo directors visited and conversed with their colleagues at the Dvůr Králové Safari Park. In the famous zoo, the Ukrainian directors learned about the okapi exhibit. The director of the zoo, Mr. Přemysl Rabas, shared his experiences on the preservation and reintroduction of white rhinos.
To conclude the meeting, AZU President Volodymyr Topchiy presented a commemorative award for the “120th Anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo” to his colleague.
