Amid the ongoing tensions in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, an Indian doctor has refused to get evacuated from the country. He says he doesn't want to abandon his pets, a panther and a leopard. The man, named Girikumar Patil is currently residing in a bunker in Ukraine's Severodonestk with his two 'big cats'.
His current place of hiding also falls in the conflicted Donbas region, which was declared independent by Russia before it invaded Ukraine. So in eyes of Russia, Patil is not even in Ukraine. The region is controlled by separatists and the situation is fast deteriorating.
He told news agency ANI, that he tried contacting the Indian embassy but didn't get a proper response. "I called the embassy but didn't get a proper response. My place is surrounded by Russians but I'm trying my best. I treat them like my kids," he said.
He adopted the jaguar from a zoo, with permission from authorities, and named it Yasha. Two months ago, he brought the black panther Sabrina as a mate to Yasha.
Patil is orthopedic in a local government hospital in Donbas. He went to Ukraine in 2007 to study medicine and later settled down in Donbas.
Patil also has three dogs - Italian mastiffs - and tries to raise funds for them through his YouTube channel, which has more than 84,000 subscribers. Patil belongs to Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district. He hopes that the Indian government will allow him to take home all his pets.
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