Its heart couldn’t take it. On the night of 23 June, during another massive Russian strike on Kyiv Oblast, a young moose rescued by volunteers died from shock, according to the Wild Animals Rescue Center.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused devastating suffering to animals across the country, affecting domestic pets, farm animals, and wildlife alike. About 25% of Ukraine’s protected nature areas have been occupied or damaged, disrupting entire ecosystems.
The calf, which had been recovering from injuries, did not survive the stress: the blast wave shattered windows in the shelter, and terrified animals panicked, crashing into their enclosures.
“Our moose calf’s little heart couldn’t take it,” the center reports.
It’s not the first tragedy of its kind. Recently, a Przewalski’s horse was killed by a landmine left behind by Russian troops in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the second such incident this year.
This is yet another heartbreaking reminder of how Russia’s war kills the defenseless and destroys all life around it.