Kyiv Zoo staff are working nonstop to keep animals warm after attacks on Ukraine's energy network caused rolling blackouts during a severe cold spell. Keepers feed a stove five times daily to keep 51-year-old gorilla Tony at about 20°C, run generators around the clock, and maintain water reserves to meet an elephant's 150 litres/day need. Tanks are kept topped to allow up to three days of autonomous operation, and staff say the effort is taking a heavy emotional and physical toll.
Kyiv Zoo Battles to Keep Animals Warm as Power Cuts Bite Amid Winter Attacks
East African striped hyena gather in an aviary, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Staff at Kyiv's zoo are working around the clock to keep animals warm after repeated Russian air strikes damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure, plunging large areas into rolling blackouts during a severe cold snap.
Tony, a 51-year-old western lowland gorilla and Ukraine's oldest gorilla, is among the most vulnerable residents. To maintain his enclosure at a comfortable roughly 20°C, keepers feed a constantly burning stove five times a day, delivering fresh firewood each time.
Deers look on in an aviary, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Generators run day and night to supply heat and power for other animals, including horses, bison and an elephant. The zoo maintains water reserves to meet the elephant's daily need of around 150 litres and keeps tanks topped up so the facility can operate autonomously for up to three days during outages.
"You can tell people to go to the countryside but I can't say that to Tony," said zoo director Kyrylo Trantin. "He doesn't have a grandmother in the countryside... where he could stay."
Repeated strikes on energy infrastructure have caused emergency outages while nighttime temperatures have plunged as low as -18°C (-0.4°F), increasing the urgency of the zoo's efforts. Staff describe the work as physically demanding and emotionally draining as they balance caring for animals with concern for their own safety and homes.
A 51-year-old gorilla Tony seats next to a wood stove, which heats his enclosure, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has urged residents to seek temporary shelter outside the city where possible amid fears of further strikes, but zoo staff say many animals have no safe alternative and depend on human care to survive the crisis.
"Every day is a battle for warmth and power," Trantin added, underscoring the scale of the challenge as the war nears its fourth year.
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