Evacuate My Pet Jaguar, Panther from Ukraine: Jaguar Kumar Appeals to Indian Govt

The Ukraine-based orthopaedic doctor from Andhra Pradesh Dr Girikumar Patil has requested the Indian government to help rescue his two big cats — pet jaguar and panther as he was forced out of the war-torn country.  

The 42-year-old Patil aka Jaguar Kumar, a YouTuber, after he became popular for raising a jaguar and panther, has left behind his big cats under the care of a local farmer in Luhansk as he had exhausted all his savings due to the ongoing war in the country.

To feed his  jaguar and panther, the Andhra doc sold part of his farmland, two apartments, two cars, his motorcycle and camera for a little over 1 lakh US dollars, the BBC reported. He was spending USD 300 everyday for feeding his cats after fighting began between Ukraine and Russia early this year. 

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Patil said saving the life of his “precious cats” is his top priority and he is open to any solution from any country in the Europea or India. He said the animals are facing an “imminent danger” due to the conflict in the region and his foremost concern is the “rapid safe evacuation of my highly beloved cats.”

“The principal issue is whether I can continue authorised access to them, which is crucial as this actually is a serious project. I'm not sure of the wildlife rules and legislations in India, whether they will permit it,” he said. 

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It may be recalled here that Jaguar Kumar hails from Tanuku in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. He went to Ukraine in 2007 to study medicine. After completing his MBBS studies, he settled there. He has a YouTube channel ‘Jaguar Kumar Telugu’ on which he keeps posting about his struggles to find food for his big cats during the Ukraine-Russia war.