The director of the Taigan Lion Park and Kazka Zoo, Crimean businessman Oleh Zubkov, said that the animals that were taken out of Kherson will definitely be returned to the Ukrainian regional center — and raccoons too.
"Krym.Realii" ["Crimea.Realities"] writes about this.
He says that he did not steal the animals, but, on the contrary, tried to save them. Zubkov calls his actions "temporary detention of Kherson pets."
"I will return them immediately as soon as the authorities of Kherson give a command that can accept them. Three more peacocks, two more pheasants, guinea fowls, two she-wolves, a llama and a donkey Dasha," Zubkov listed, adding that he intends to return the animals "in full."
The fate of the raccoon from the Kherson Zoo interested many netizens after a post by Russian propagandist Anna Dolgareva, who boasted that her friend managed to steal the raccoon while fleeing from Kherson.
- Oleh Zubkov was released from the Russian pre-trial detention center only at the end of October. He was there after the court sentenced him in a criminal case for providing a service that does not meet the requirements of consumer safety and health. The case was initiated after an Amur tiger injured the arm of a one-year-old child in Taigan Park. The Russian "Supreme Court of Crimea" canceled Zubkovʼs imprisonment and released him on recognizance until a new trial. Apparently, Zubkov violated the courtʼs order.