Today began with a very positive refugee story from the Lviv region. As people have surged from the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine, the tide of refugees has also seen a handful of bears in their midst. The Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr took in seven bears from the White Rock Bear Shelter near Kyiv which is run by the Four Paws partner organisation "Save Wild Fund", in an emergency transfer. Three of the bears have since been moved on to bear sanctuaries in Germany but four remain. Walking through the 20 hectare site between the large woodland enclosures, it’s enormously satisfying to know that these animals have gone from being abused as hotel and restaurant entertainment, or used as training for hunting dogs, to being evacuated from a war zone, to now be living in a woodland oasis of absolute calm.
Back in Lviv, three soldiers were buried simultaneously in the Field of Mars. The mother of one soldier clutched his beret in her hand with such tenderness after receiving it from the honour guard. Through the whole burial, the bride of one of the soldiers simply stared, near-motionless, at the framed photograph of her dead husband. While others around her wept, the absolute stillness she held was incredibly moving. An elderly mother of another soldier held onto his grave marker for support as her family helped her to stand. I can only hope that such an unreal situation of grieving together in this way brings support for them all.
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