Some of the most vulnerable victims of the war in Ukraine are animals that are captive in zoos and unable to escape the shelling.

Before the war, the Feldman Ecopark Zoo in Kharkiv housed more than 5,000 animals. It has been directly targeted by Russia bombs, which have killed at least 100 animals, injured many others and placed even more under constant stress.

Many zoo workers have stayed to care for and feed the trapped animals. Three of these heroic caretakers have died and others have been wounded. Some animals — like deer and moose — have been released, since they might have a better chance of survival on their own. Others have been evacuated in vans and trucks by staff members running the gauntlet through the war zone.

Our thoughts are with these heroes as they work to save the innocent victims of war.