When the crisis between Ukraine and Russia erupted, an orthopedic surgeon from Andhra Pradesh who was stationed there made a plea to the Indian government for assistance in rescuing his pet jaguar and panther, which were left behind when he had to leave the combat zone.
Dr. Gidikumar Patil, also known as Jaguar Kumar after his odd pets, claims that saving the lives of his dear cats Yasha and Sabrina, a male and female black panther, respectively, are his top priorities. Yasha is a rare lep-jag hybrid between a leopard and a jaguar.
In order to find alternative means of money, the 42-year-old was compelled to leave them behind with a local farmer when he left Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of the violence in the area.
He stated that since the Indian embassy in Kyiv was unable to assist, he would like the Indian government to assist him in solving his conundrum.
Mr. Patil, a citizen of Ukraine, was employed in the now-bombed Svavtove hospital in Severodonetsk when the Russia-Ukraine conflict started earlier this year.
Around two years ago, he bought his two odd pets from a zoo in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and has been loyal to them ever since.
Mr. Patil has been sharing updates of his unusual life with the large cats as pets through his YouTube channel, which has over 62,000 subscribers. He says his dream project is to get enough financing for a breeding scheme to help protect the endangered species. These tapes actually served as his defense against the Russian assault as he fled Luhansk since they demonstrated his impartiality in the fighting.
Mr. Patil said he is open to any solution that any friendly nation is prepared to offer for the safety of his pets, whether it is closer to their current home in neighboring western Ukraine, anywhere in Europe, or even in India.
The doctor claims his first priority is still the quick safe evacuation of my extremely valued cats, with the other components of his project to be explored in the future, given the imminent danger the animals are in in the combat zone.
The middle-class man’s savings were largely depleted in order to care for and feed the enormous cats. It appears from the updates he has received from the local farmer who is now caring for them in Ukraine that the link is reciprocal because they are allegedly missing him too.
Mr. Patil is from Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district.
News Mania Desk
