Tiger cub stolen from Mariupol and sent to Moscow circus is reported dead
Occupants stole a tiger cub from the destroyed Mariupol (Photo:Mariupol City Council / Telegram)
A tiger cub stolen by Russian invaders from the zoo in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol is reported to have died at a circus in Russia, Mariupol City Council reported on Telegram on Aug. 5.
According to the city council's information, the three-month-old tiger cub was taken to a circus in Moscow in May 2023 with the intention of training it under the care of Edgard Zapashny, a vocal supporter of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and an active propagator of Kremlin propaganda.
The trainer himself confirmed the animal's demise.
“He claimed that the animal had congenital kidney problems. However, he did not inform why they took it to the circus instead of returning it to the zoo,” the city council wrote.
Earlier, the city council had informed that the tiger cub was born in the zoo, but due to the tigress rejecting it, it had been given over to the care of a local German Shepherd dog as a foster mother.
It is not the first case of Russians stealing animals from Ukrainian zoos – during their retreat from Kherson in the autumn of 2022, Russian invaders also stole a raccoon from the local zoo.
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