Yesterday, in the evening, two bears, Misha and Masha, born the Gyumri Zoo located in the beginning of Ani district, were transported. There were 3 lions left there, mother Mary with two cubs: Zita and Gita. The Nature Protection Ministry’s Facebook page where you can see the photographs of the bears from the moment of transporting, it is written, “On January 22, in the evening, two bears of the Gyumri Zoo were delivered to Yerevan Zoo for medical examination, increase of viability and, short time later, for sending to the European rehabilitation center for animals. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this route possible for the bears – to their normal lives.”
The zoo owner Styopa Vardanyan said to Aravot.am that although he regrets giving out the animals born in Gyumri but he feels comfortable, at least, they will be healthy and well-fed. “My teddies were transferred to Yerevan Zoo yesterday, they reached the place safely and feel good, they will get injections, treated and now they are in a quarantine. The place is good and warm. One month later, as agreed, the bears will be sent to Romania. First, they need to be tagged and documents need to be prepared to be sent them abroad. My pets have Armenian passports, which do not pass, we need to follow the European laws, now the passports are not valid anymore, they need to be tagged, you have seen in the films that the animals are chipped prior to moving to somewhere. It is a lie that my animals do not have documents, just it needs time to take them to Europe, quarantine is required to be sure that they are healthy and then transport them. Then, time is required, my pets need an adaptation period. Every transfer is a stress to the animals. I, certainly, felt a great pain for the bears what I am interested in is that my pets will continue to live, they will be taken care of, it does not matter where they will be taken. Now, all my thought is about my lions, although they have promised that they will be taken care of too and will be saved.”
Styopa Vardanyan was very upset with the description of his Zoo by the British DailyMail. “They wrote that it is the saddest Zoo in the world, they discredited us, and the matter here is not only me but for our country – Armenia. If I have health problems now and am unable to take care of my pets, it does not mean that they have the right to write whatever want. You know that I do not come out of the house but at home, I know that contributions are carried out for my animals all over the world. I would like to state that there was no one calling me and contacting about who these fundraisers are, it is a secret for me, truly, I want to know who these institutions are and why it is so secret. I have absolutely no connection, I am just concerned about not doing excessive things on behalf of my zoo and not to give my name and the name of my country, not to speculate if indeed they have no intention to help and rescue my animals,” said Styopa Vardanyan. The photos of the bears leaving the Gyumri Zoo are taken from the Facebook page of the Ministry of Nature Protection.
Read also
Nune AREVSHATYAN
