Russia-Ukraine war: Indian doctor in Ukraine refuses to leave behind his pet jaguar, panther
Donbas, March 7: An Indian doctor living in Ukraine's Severodonetsk city has refused to leave the country without his "big cats," a black panther and a jaguar, amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Dr Girikumar Patil, who is also a YouTuber and influencer, is residing in Ukraine since 2007.
"I originally belong from Andhra Pradesh and came here in 2007 to pursue MBBS. I finished my course in 2014. Since 2019, I wanted to have big cats like a Bengal tiger," said Patil, who is also known as Jaguar Kumar.
"I spoke to Kiev zoo regarding this. This jaguar is actually a crossbreed between a leopard and a black jaguar and is very rare," Patil said, adding that it is 20 months old. The black panther is six months old.
Patil has refused to leave Ukraine without his "big cats" saying that "for me, these are not my pets. I don't treat them like pets but treat them like my kids."
He further said, "I'm calling the embassy but I didn't get a proper response. My place is completely surrounded by Russians. But I'm trying my level best."
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Patil's determination to not abandon his pets may be one-of-a-kind in terms of the pets he owns. It is not unheard of, however, since many Indian nationals previously refused to leave their pets behind while being evacuated from the war-torn country.
The Government of India issued a memorandum permitting "a one-time relaxation measure" for bringing back pet dogs and cats together with stranded Indians who are being evacuated from war-torn Ukraine, which came as a huge relief to these pet lovers.
An increasing number of stranded Indian students from Ukraine are returning with their pets, with some even risking their lives and giving up personal things to save their pets.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dispatched four special envoys to the countries bordering Ukraine, where Indians are being evacuated.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Rijiju, General (Retd) VK Singh, and Hardeep Singh Puri, four cabinet ministers, have been on the job for several days. Hardeep Puri, a former diplomat, has been stationed in Hungary to supervise the evacuation of Indian students.
Three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities, Russian soldiers commenced military operations in Ukraine on February 24.
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-PTC News
