Wednesday this week was spent giving more TV interviews about animal enrichment. I think we did about 10 TV channels and a few radio ones as well. The TV interviews were scheduled for broadcasting to about 80 different countries. Steve seems to give very good TV interviews where I do better at the radio ones; it works out very well between us.
On Thursday we did a mock inspection of the whole zoo in the sweltering heat. It is in preparation for an inspection to join EAZA – the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria; we have to prove that we maintain excellent standards in terms of animal management and welfare. It went pretty well, we took a check-list round to ensure we covered all the aspects they will be looking at. We found a few areas for improvement, but nothing insurmountable.
We have a new baby at the zoo – a Prezwalski foal (no photos yet) who is doing very well and the whole herd of horses are all looking after it. This is great news for our captive breeding programme as Prezwalski horses are an extremely endangered species.
This week we found an artist in the zoo creating a sculpture of a Great Bustard, the sculpture looks amazing so far and will be even better when he gets it cast in metal.
Friday was spent meeting Heads of Departments to discuss what they needed to do in preparation for the official inspection so they plenty of notice to get everything ready. It should have been our night for going to the Canadian Embassy but we had a meeting in the evening. Steve was asked by a Ukrainian TV channel to give a half hour live interview and phone-in Q&A session, so off we went to a TV studio in the centre of Kyiv. It all went very well and Steve gave good answers to all the questions and was able to discuss all the points we planned.
It’s just too hot at the moment to do anything apart from sit in front of the fan and drink icy cold water. I’m desperate for a thunderstorm to cool everything down.
On Saturday we recovered from all the TV publicity this week and running round the zoo. We stayed in the flat to catch up on emails etc. In the afternoon, Masha and her little boy came round to see us. Whilst they were here, Masha cut my hair as it was getting far too long. I think I have said before that most of the staff here have second jobs as the wages are so low, and Masha’s second job is as a hairdresser.
Today we have just popped to the local shops for some supplies and I bought a lovely pair of shiny flip-flops as my current ones are a bit worn out. Steve is busy making some designs to modify the zebra enclosure and is currently banished from the flat as he is cutting up bits of wire mesh to make a feeder for the coatis – little bits of wire pinging everywhere!
This week we are expecting some guests from the UK. Our friend Pete Wearden, who we know through zoo work, and three of his friends are taking part in the Mongol Rally. This is a charity car endurance challenge driving from the UK to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. They are going to stop here at Kyiv Zoo for an overnight break at some point this week. They have two cars in the Rally – Baatar Boys and Ghengis Express. We’ve been following their progress online and expect them here probably on Wednesday.
On Thursday we did a mock inspection of the whole zoo in the sweltering heat. It is in preparation for an inspection to join EAZA – the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria; we have to prove that we maintain excellent standards in terms of animal management and welfare. It went pretty well, we took a check-list round to ensure we covered all the aspects they will be looking at. We found a few areas for improvement, but nothing insurmountable.
We have a new baby at the zoo – a Prezwalski foal (no photos yet) who is doing very well and the whole herd of horses are all looking after it. This is great news for our captive breeding programme as Prezwalski horses are an extremely endangered species.
This week we found an artist in the zoo creating a sculpture of a Great Bustard, the sculpture looks amazing so far and will be even better when he gets it cast in metal.
Friday was spent meeting Heads of Departments to discuss what they needed to do in preparation for the official inspection so they plenty of notice to get everything ready. It should have been our night for going to the Canadian Embassy but we had a meeting in the evening. Steve was asked by a Ukrainian TV channel to give a half hour live interview and phone-in Q&A session, so off we went to a TV studio in the centre of Kyiv. It all went very well and Steve gave good answers to all the questions and was able to discuss all the points we planned.
It’s just too hot at the moment to do anything apart from sit in front of the fan and drink icy cold water. I’m desperate for a thunderstorm to cool everything down.
On Saturday we recovered from all the TV publicity this week and running round the zoo. We stayed in the flat to catch up on emails etc. In the afternoon, Masha and her little boy came round to see us. Whilst they were here, Masha cut my hair as it was getting far too long. I think I have said before that most of the staff here have second jobs as the wages are so low, and Masha’s second job is as a hairdresser.
Today we have just popped to the local shops for some supplies and I bought a lovely pair of shiny flip-flops as my current ones are a bit worn out. Steve is busy making some designs to modify the zebra enclosure and is currently banished from the flat as he is cutting up bits of wire mesh to make a feeder for the coatis – little bits of wire pinging everywhere!
This week we are expecting some guests from the UK. Our friend Pete Wearden, who we know through zoo work, and three of his friends are taking part in the Mongol Rally. This is a charity car endurance challenge driving from the UK to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. They are going to stop here at Kyiv Zoo for an overnight break at some point this week. They have two cars in the Rally – Baatar Boys and Ghengis Express. We’ve been following their progress online and expect them here probably on Wednesday.
Artist with Bustard Sculpture 
Steve getting Make-Up for Live TV
Larissa, Steve and TV Presenter
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