Blind Ukrainian orphans reunited with lions from war torn country in Doncaster

The refugee students, who were saved from Vladimir Putin’s attacks after their School for the Blind was heavily bombed and destroyed, paid a behind-the-scenes visit to the award-winning attraction to listen to some of the ‘most vocal mammals on the planet’.

Like the lions that Yorkshire Wildlife Park recently rescued, the young students, aged between 15 and 21 and many of them orphans, were evacuated to Poland, fearing for their lives after the invasion in 2022.

One student, hearing the lions, said: “I was really upset they had to leave our home in Ukraine, the same as me. But I’m really grateful for the people that helped them like they did me and we are all safe now.”

The Kharkiv School for the Blind was one of the first to be bombarded by Russian bombing, leaving the building demolished. The students were later rescued by a School and Educational facility for the Disabled, in Poland.

During their visit to Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in Auckley, deputy head teacher Marzena Bialas said: “They are really excited about the lions in Yorkshire. They didn’t know they had been shipped over to the UK.”

The visit to Yorkshire Wildlife Park began with an exciting behind-the-scenes tour of the 175-acre park, where the students had the opportunity to hear some of the loudest mammals on Earth, including the Sea Lions.

The trip was supported by the Duchess of York, who helped to arrange the visit, and the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the RNIB who funded the event. Sarah, Duchess of York, said it was ‘wonderful’ that they had the chance to visit Yorkshire.

She said:”‘I hope the visit brings smiles to their faces - for me the smile of a child has always been the most important thing.

‘They have been through unimaginable trauma, separated from their families, broken apart by the dreadful Russian invasion. It is just the most appalling situation.’

‘I first met the group in Poland at the onset of the war, where my charity has worked for many years. I was humbled to hear their story of survival and determination, and we have remained in touch ever since. It is an honour for me to call them my friends.’

Students even had the opportunity to feed the resident animals, like the giraffes, before a private audience in the lion enclosure, where newly rescued Aysa and her cubs Santa, Emi and Teddi, greeted the group with fantastic roars.

The arrival of the lion family last week was a culmination of seven months of effort from the park and the Wildlife Foundation charity which is based at the park.

The journey from their holding facility in Poland spanned over six countries and 2,000 miles, and they finally reached their new home at YWP last Thursday week.

The rangers at YWP say that the lions are showing ‘really positive signs’ of their adjustment to their new surroundings, and the cubs are nuzzling next to their mum through the mesh divider that separates them.

Head of carnivores at YWP, Bex Brown, said: ‘I’m hopeful the pride can come together. Emi has shown the most interest in mum. When they first saw each other, they were cautious but we left them to it, and they started showing some really nice behaviour, including head rubbing.’

‘We’ve given them some toys and at first they were a bit nervous, but they were soon playing with the wood, the rubes and fire hose that we gave them. They are so intrigued about everything that is going on.’

As the lions roared at their visitors, one student said: ‘I feel emotional that I can be here. I never dreamed I would travel so much.’

‘It was a big surprise to find out about the lions from Ukraine, their story is very similar to ours.’

‘The bombing was so close to us as we were in the centre of Kharkiv. It was horrible, the walls were shaking. We stayed in the basement, only going upstairs to brush our teeth. I was scared. We didn’t understand what was going on because we could not see it.’

‘Some kids were picked up by their parents, but some of us didn’t have anyone to pick us up. It was chaotic, the alarms were going off all the time.’

The head teacher from the Polish school, Violetta Trzcina, said that the trip was important for many reasons.

She explained:”‘We cannot thank everyone enough for this trip as it is helping not only kids but blind adults to forget about the tragic situation in Ukraine.’

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, home to over 70 of the world’s rarest and most dangerous species, is a leader in global conservation, working closely with the Wildlife Foundation to educate and promote the importance of protecting the world’s most endangered species of animals.