Indian Doctor Stuck In Ukraine Spends Rs. 80 Lakh To Build A Bomb Shelter For Pets Panther, Jaguar
After returning to India, he says he will contact authorities to get his 'kids' Panther and Jaguar back from war-torn Ukraine.
India-born doctor Girikumar Patil has been living in Severodonetsk, a town in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine for over six years.
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Indians managed to reach home, but Patil, who belongs to Andhra Pradesh, chose to stay back in Ukraine with two big pet cats - a black panther and a jaguar.
Instagram
According to a BBC video released in March 2022, Patil had adopted the big pet cats from the Kyiv zoo about 20 months ago and refused to leave Ukraine without his pets.
Amid the turbulent state of affairs in Ukraine, Patil still risks his life every day and steps out before curfew to visit the market and arrange food for his pets.
Instagram
To protect his pets, he spent over Rs. 80 Lakh to build a comfortable shelter. In an interview with News18, Patil shared,
New Indian Express
¡°I am constructing an enclosure with bomb shelter around 200m long. I have spent close to Rs 80 lakh. I didn¡¯t have any option as the zoos didn¡¯t want to keep the big cats. Once the shelter is ready, I will have to wait for a human corridor to open."
His parents used to make frantic calls to him, asking him to come home. ¡°My parents have been calling me and asking me to come home, but I can't leave the animals," said Patil in an interview with BBC.
After over two months of being stuck in the war-torn Ukraine, Patil has finally decided to head back to India:
He decided to return to India after local soldiers mistook him for being a criminal and threatened him.
Bomb Shelter
However, he is relieved that he could construct a 200-meter animal enclosure in his backyard with all the required facilities for his pets. According to a report in The New Indian Express, he sold all his properties and car to construct the enclosure.
He also hired a six-member crew, who worked for over a month to build the shelter.
After he reaches India, Patil plans on getting back his 'kids' at any cost. The report quoted him as saying,
¡°After returning to India, I will meet the officials concerned and do everything possible to bring back my kids at any cost.¡±
The doctor went to Ukraine in 2007 to study medicine and has been a practicing orthopedist in the country since 2014, along with working in a government hospital at Severodonetsk.
Patil has experienced the aftermath of war before as well. Patil used to live in Luhansk, where Russia-backed troops fought Ukrainian troops in 2014.
Due to the war, Patil lost his restaurant and home during the fight in that region. However, he claims that the situation this time is way worse. Expressing his desperation to take his pets back home, he says he is hopeful that the Indian government will intervene.
Patil is fascinated by big cats and has three Italian dogs as his pets. He uses his unique YouTube channel to raise funds with over 85,000 followers.
Patil has also played small parts in some Telugu soaps and Ukrainian films and series.
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