Darkness. The low growl of a big cat, nearby. A flashlight illuminates a lion in a cage, trying to get its claws at a man standing only inches away.
This is how a documentary covering the rescue of animals from a Kharkiv zoo during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine begins. Feldman Ecopark is located only 30 km from the Ukrainian/Russian border and as the invasion began, rockets fell within the park, quickly followed by Russian troops. When the situation stabalized the park with its 5000 animals was in a “gray zone” in between the Ukrainian and Russian troops.
Ninety percent of the staff left, leaving only 10 people to care for the thousands of animals with their disparate needs. Of these 10, two were killed in a Russian attack. The attacks worsened and after a few weeks the decision was made to evacuate the animals. First the primates, whose Monkey House was struck by a Russian rocket, were moved south to the Kharkiv zoo. But that zoo didn’t have room for the thousands of other animals needing rescue.
Then the owner of the Ecopark, entrepreneur Oleksandr Feldman, opened his own estate to the non-dangerous animals – as long as his wife didn’t have to see, smell, or share a room with any of them.
That left the really dangerous predators: bears, big cats, wolves, and such to be either euthanized or placed elsewhere. But where and how?
Director/writer Joshua Zeman (“The Loneliest Whale”) along with writer Daniel Lonsbury (“Hell Gate”) have given us an extraordinarily gripping story about amazing animals placed in harm’s way by human conflict, and how a dedicated handful of people worked to save almost all of them.
There is no narrator – instead the actual participants make up almost all the dialogue explaining the situation, the logistical problems, and how they overcame them. Of particular interest is Feldman, who started the Ecopark as a way to help his community enjoy nature, and, in the end, gave up almost everything he had to make sure the dream wasn’t completely destroyed. His emotional connection with “his children” is palpable and genuine.
The cinematography is gorgeous and the personalities of the various people involved are beautifully captured in their words and especially their expressions. This is particularly true of a troupe of young men who, when they heard about the plight of the animals, virtually forced themselves on the few remaining zookeepers. Without their help the rescue would not have been possible.
“Checkpoint Zoo” is not to be missed.
Runtime: One hour, 49 minutes
Availability: Currently playing at various film festivals with a theatrical run to follow
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