The doctor was forced to relinquish his pets to a local farmer when he left Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of conflict in the region, in search of alternative sources of income.
The doctor was forced to relinquish his pets to a local farmer when he left Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of conflict in the region, in search of alternative sources of income.
An Orthopedic Physician from Andhra Pradesh, who was based in Ukraine when conflict broke out with Russiahas appealed to the Indian government to help save its pet jaguar and panther after they were pulled out of the war zone.
Dr. Gidikumar Patil, known as Jaguar Kumar because of his unusual pets, says his top priority is to save the lives of his “precious cats” – Yasha, a leopard and a rare “lep-jag between jaguar and Sabrina”. “Mixed male. A female Black Panther.
The 42-year-old was forced to leave with a local farmer when he left Luhansk in Eastern UkraineIn search of alternative sources of income, the center of conflict in the region.
With the Indian embassy in Kyiv unable to help, the doctor said that his message to the Indian government would be to help them through their “conundrum”.
Mr. Patil said, “My humble message is to urgently consider this puzzle with the best possible solution and act swiftly, emphasizing on the exact current status of the cats and their immediate safety.” PTI From his refuge in Warsaw, Poland.
“My feeling of being away from my cats is very intense; sometimes depression, wistful memories of those fond memories and apprehensions about their well being and fate,” said Mr. Patil.
As a Ukrainian citizen, Mr. Patil was working in the now-bombed hospital in Svatov. severodonetsk when Russia-Ukraine conflict broke up earlier this year.
Mr. Patil received his two unusual pets from a zoo in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv about two years ago and has been devoted to them ever since.
Through his YouTube channel with over 62,000 subscribers, Mr. Patil has been streaming updates on his curious life with big cats as pets over the past few months and says his dream project is for a breeding project. Enough money is to be obtained to help protect the endangered species. species. In fact, it was these videos that protected him from Russian attack while leaving Luhansk as they proved his neutrality in the conflict.
As for his pet’s safety, Mr. Patil says he’s ready for any solution any friendly country offers – whether it’s closer to his current home in neighboring western Ukraine or somewhere in Europe or India.
“The main issue is whether I can continue to have authorized access to them, which is important because this is a really serious project. I am not sure about wildlife regulations and laws in India, would they allow such a thing? are,” Mr. Patil said.
“I very much hope this will work, but first they must be moved to relative safety by governments with immediate and effective action. Basically, the basic concept of raising these remarkable cats is by continuously breeding these ‘panther hybrids. till they produce the desired hybrid, perhaps the first of its kind, which will then be raised and maintained in the wild,” Mr. Patil said.
Given the “imminent danger” the animals are in conflict zones, the doctor says that his biggest concern is “the speedy safe evacuation of my extremely beloved cats”, with other aspects of his project to be pursued in the future.
As a middle class person, the animal lover has exhausted most of his savings on feeding and caring for the big cats. From an update on the local farmer who is now taking care of him in Ukraine, it seems that the bond is mutual as they are reportedly drawn to him as well.
Mr Patil hails from Tanuku in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.