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Escaped Ukraine zoo chimp returns home on bike after it starts raining

September 7, 2022

A chimpanzee which escaped a Ukraine zoo was coaxed back to its home by keepers after it started raining, eventually being taken back on a bicycle.

Kharkiv City Zoo staff were struggling to convince Chichi, who was wandering around city streets and nearby parks, to return back to her home with them on Monday.

But, when the rain came down, Chichi ran to a keeper who put a yellow rain jacket on her.

They embraced in joy before Chichi was put on a bicycle for the ride home.

The zoo's director, Oleksiy Hryhoriev, confirmed to Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne that the chimpanzee was safely back home.

Footage of the unusual incident brought a rare moment of joy to a city under bombardment on the frontline by Russian forces.

Chichi had been evacuated from the Feldman Ecopark, an outdoor zoo on the frontlines of Kharkiv region, when the war began.

Kharkiv city is also facing daily shelling, with buildings across the northern and eastern parts of the city left blackened by bombs. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured.

The zoo is located in the city centre, where there have been less bombings since its main administrative buildings were destroyed in March.

However, The Guardian reports that last week a rocket hit the centre killing at least four civilians.

Although Chichi still lives in relative danger, she was lucky to leave her former home at Feldman's Ecopark alive.

According to the zoo's owner, Kharkiv businessman Oleksandr Feldman, more than 100 animals died before they were able to evacuated.

Feldman adds, that six people who volunteered to help with the evacuation were also killed.

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