The war in Ukraine is causing heavy fallout for flora and fauna. The Ukrainian government estimates that the conflict has created at least $40 billion worth of environmental damage so far. Exotic animals, once illegally kept as pets, have been abandoned to fend for themselves as thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar, Elena Volochine and Abdelkader Dermas spoke with Ukrainian ecologists and animal welfare activists to bring us this report.
Natalia Popova is the director of the 'UAnimals' animal rescue centre in the suburbs of the capital Kyiv that has rescued more than 200 animals abandoned by their owners who fled the fighting.
