The great escape: Black panther cub rescued from war-torn Ukraine finds a new home in France

A Ukraine-born six-month-old black panther has found a new home in a faraway land, in France. Kiara, the black panther was born in a war-torn country and was also a victim of exotic animal trafficking but has now found a new and much safer dwelling at a wildlife refuge in France.Veterinarian Jean-Christophe Gerard told AFP, that Kiara "escaped a tragic path in life" and now reached safely to France. The panther with shining black fur and striking green eyes was just a few weeks old when the "private individual" who illegally owned her fled under bombing and abandoned the panther cub, Gerard told.

Soon after, the Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Kyiv took custody of Kiara and contacted the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) which helped her get out of Ukraine and into a zoo in western Poland.

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Kiara spent a few weeks at the zoo receiving care and recovering from her long journey. The panther was later taken to Tonga Terre d'Accueil, a shelter for rescued or abandoned wild animals within France's Saint-Martin-la-Plaine Zoo. Kiara will be cared for by a team that specialises in helping "exploited and abused" wild animals while she searches for a permanent new home.

Kiara spends most of her time in her own enclosure and likes to eat alone. The veterinarians are also not trying to mix her up with other animals for now, and giving her time and space to adapt to her new home and surroundings."She’s been through a lot of changes in the people who take care of her, and this is all very traumatic for animals", Gerard said.

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Wild animals born in Europe are still wild, with the accompanying instincts, he said. They need time to settle down and get used to their caretakers and new environment. Still, Gerard occasionally manages to play with Kiara through the barrier of her enclosure. "After this adjustment period, we will introduce her to another little panther so they can grow up and play together, and live their panther lives", Gerard said.

"We hope she will leave in the near future and live a quiet life somewhere that meets her needs,"said Gerard.

Since the beginning of the conflict in February, IFAW claims to have assisted "countless wild animals in Ukraine" by providing emergency aid, and food and collaborating with partners to facilitate rescues when possible.

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