Pyongyang (TIP): Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted over 70 animals, including an African lion, brown bears, and cockatoos, to North Korea, highlighting the growing ties between the two nations. This unusual diplomatic gesture symbolises the strengthening relationship between Russia and North Korea in recent months.
The animals, which also included two yaks, were transported from the Moscow Zoo to the Pyongyang Central Zoo by air, accompanied by a team of veterinarians. The animals transferred were “a gift from Vladimir Putin to the Korean people”, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said.
The gift comes weeks after the US and South Korea revealed that North Korea had sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
Russian Minister of Natural Resources, Alexander Kozlov, who oversaw the relocation of the animals, said, “Cooperation between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is not only about economics, trade and industry. It also encompasses numerous nature conservation projects. Now, the friendship between the Moscow and Pyongyang Zoos has been added to this list.”
In addition to the yaks, the animals sent to North Korea included an African lion, two brown bears, five white cockatoos, 25 species of pheasants, and 40 mandarin ducks, all destined for the Pyongyang Central Zoo.
Svetlana Akulova, General Director of Moscow Zoo, noted that the animal exchange is part of a broader effort to foster scientific and educational cooperation between the two countries. “With the support of the Moscow government, we plan to expand collaboration with our North Korean colleagues on joint scientific and educational initiatives, as well as the exchange of expertise and information on caring for rare species,” Akulova stated.
This exchange is not unprecedented. In April, Russia sent over 40 animals, including eagles, parrots, and pythons, to Pyongyang Zoo, according to the Russian news agency TASS. In return, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gifted Putin two rare Pungsan hunting dogs in June 2024, ahead of Putin’s planned visit to Pyongyang.
In June, Russia and North Korea revived a Cold War-era mutual defence pact. According to the Pentagon, over 10,000 North Korean troops have since been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where intense battles with Ukrainian forces have been ongoing since August, reported The New York Times. (Reuters)