Donbas (Ukraine): An Indian doctor in Ukraine refuses to part ways with his pets, a panther and a jaguar, as Russia continues to bomb the country in the war that has pushed millions out as refugees.
Dr Girikumar Patil aka 'Jaguar Kumar' is living with his two unusual pets in the basement of his six-room house in Severodonetsk, a small town located in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Originally from Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh, Dr Patil decried lack of response from the Indian Embassy despite his desperate attempts to leave the warzone, though not without his big cats. "I called the Embassy several times but didn't get a proper response. My place is surrounded by Russians, but I'm trying my best. I treat my pets like my kids and am not going to leave without them," he said.
Patil studied medicine in Ukraine and was working at a government hospital when Russia decided to attack the country. About 20 months ago, he adopted the jaguar, 'Yasha', from a local zoo in Kyiv with all the legal formalities, while the Black Panther 'Sabrina' was bought two months ago as a mate for 'Yasha'. The male jaguar is a 20-month-old cat, while the panther is a female six-month-old cub, for which Patil has so far borne an expenditure of $35,000.
"I originally belong from Andhra Pradesh and came here in 2007 to pursue MBBS. I finished my course in 2014. Since 2019, I wanted to have big cats like a Bengal tiger," Patil said. "I spoke to Kyiv zoo regarding this. This jaguar (pointing towards his pet) is actually a crossbreed between a leopard and a black jaguar and is very rare," he said.
Patil is fond of animals in general. Apart from Yasha and Sabrina, he also has three dogs as pets. With his family residing in India, the animals are his only family in Ukraine. Apart from working as a medical professional, he also runs a YouTube channel with around 85,000 subscribers. While the border with Russia is just 80 km from where he stays, Patil said that the troops are densely deployed in his region making it difficult for him to even get out of his basement bunker unless it's absolutely necessary.
Patil said that he is the only Indian left in the neighbourhood as most people in the surroundings have moved out because of the increasing intensity of bombings in the area. Despite the frequent power and internet cuts, Patil managed to reach out to the embassy and other concerned authorities to seek help and evacuation for him and his pets. His family, he said, has been asking him to come home as soon as he can. "But I am going to hold out. For me, these are not my pets. I don't treat them like pets, but like my kids," he said.
With many Indian nationals refusing to leave their pets behind while they were being evacuated from the war-torn country, the Government of India had issued a memorandum facilitating "a one-time relaxation measure" for bringing back pet dogs and cats along, bringing major relief to these pet-lovers. However, considering the pets Patil has adopted, the embassy, according to him, is seemingly hesitant to accept or even consider his demand.
Agency inputs
Also read: India eases norms for bringing back pets from Ukraine, Maneka Gandhi pats govt
