International Zoo Conference: Supporting Ukraine
Directors from six zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos of Ukraine participated in the international conference ZOOFanatika, which took place at the Lubin Zoo in Poland from April 11 to 13, 2025.
The Ukrainian delegation included:
- Volodymyr Topchiy (President of AZU, Director of Mykolaiv Zoo)
- Yevheniy Van (Cherkasy Zoo Roshen)
- Oleh Pavliuk (Rivne Zoo)
- Ludmila Denysenko (Lutsk Zoo)
- Sergiy Kostiv (Limpopo Zoo)
- Igor Bilyakov (Odesa Zoo)
This year’s ZOOFanatika focused on supporting Ukrainian zoos.
“Ukrainian zoos are in an extremely difficult situation. The initial wave of solidarity from Europe has significantly decreased. Moreover, the financial condition of Ukrainian zoos is even worse than at the beginning of the war. The situation is aggravated not only by a lack of funds but also by many other negative factors,” the organizers of ZOOFanatika stated.
On the first day of the meeting, Volodymyr Topchiy presented a report titled “Ukrainian Zoos in Wartime.” The Lutsk, Mykolaiv, and Cherkasy zoos presented videos showing how their teams faced the challenges of wartime.
A traditional element of ZOOFanatika is the auction where artifacts related to zoo activities (publications, 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 missile warhead that struck the territory of Mykolaiv Zoo.
During the meeting at Lubin Zoo, Volodymyr Topchiy awarded a commemorative prize for the “120th Anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo” to the director of Warsaw Zoo, Andrzej Kruszewicz. Mr. Kruszewicz was one of the founders of the PANDA foundation, which has been supporting our zoos since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Meeting with Czech Colleagues
After the conference, representatives of Ukrainian zoos met with their Czech counterparts.
In Prague Zoo, Volodymyr Topchiy presented a commemorative sign “Order of Leontovych” to the zoo director Miroslav Bobek. Our colleagues had the opportunity to view the new gorilla exhibit and learn about the construction of the large Arctic Exhibit (budget — €50 million).
At the end of their visit to ZOOFanatika, the directors of AZU zoos visited and talked with their colleagues at the Safari Park “Dvůr Králové.” In the famous zoo, the Ukrainian directors learned about the okapi exhibit. The zoo director, Mr. Přemysl Rabas, shared experiences regarding the preservation and reintroduction of white rhinos.
At the conclusion of the meeting, AZU President Volodymyr Topchiy presented a commemorative award for the “120th Anniversary of Mykolaiv Zoo.”
