There is a chance to change reputation to the better

The Kyiv Zoo has got a chance to see changes to the better, as its former director Yevhen Kyryliuk has resigned voluntarily. He was the main opponent of civic activists over the past three years, who accused him of stealing money and neglecting the animals’ needs. The city government of Kyiv is now looking for a candidate to take his place as the zoo’s director. It is important to avoid old mistakes, to relegate to the past financial fraud cases as well as stories of sick animals and rotten tangerines in the warehouses. After all, almost all former directors are now under criminal investigation, and the Control and Audit Department (CAD) conducted extensive inspections showing that the top managers abused their offices and misappropriated large sums of money allocated for the needs of the zoo. However, no director has been convicted as of yet.

The public has its candidate in Serhii Hryhoriev, a former employee of the zoo, who has volunteered to care for the animals living in Mezhyhiria. However, his legacy of conflicts with former directors and active stance on improving conditions in the zoo are unlikely to find support among officials. Hryhoriev himself admits that he likes working with animals more than with documents, even though he is still concerned about the Kyiv Zoo’s future. Therefore, his advice to the new manager is to change the entire system that has taken root in the zoo.

“Over the years the zoo has had the middle-level employees hired who were making money for themselves, doing business of sorts. These so-called activists are now gathering signatures in support of Oleksii Tolstoukhov, who was the director of the zoo twice. He has a very bad reputation and was investigated by the CAD. To choose him again for this position would be just ridiculous. Therefore, we must change the zoo’s internal regulations, but it will not happen until people are punished for their old offenses. Svitlana Berzina, for example, served as the zoo’s director, was fired for corruption, now heads the Living Planet organization and is still arrogant enough to apply for some public position. Without overhauling the whole system, nothing will come of our efforts, no negotiations or community board will bring results. I talked to the officials, I was assured that the new government was really interested to have a new manager who would not allow theft to continue. Personally, I found that the person does not matter, it is laws and their enforcement that do,” Hryhoriev explained.

Immediately after the Kyryliuk resignation hit the news, there were rumors that the zoo will be moved beyond the city limits, and its present site sold to developers. However, Hryhoriev maintains that these rumors are a work of a group of people who want it to happen. They have been spread to discredit the new city government and gauge the public’s reaction. For now, the public is waiting for Kyiv officials to announce a competition for the position of the zoo’s director and name the applicants, because the institution’s fate and image depend on it.