KHARKIV, Ukraine: Russian shelling has destroyed the Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv and sent its volunteers scurrying.

Officials at the Ukrainian zoo said it would be forced to put down thousands of its animals, including bears and lions, as there is no means of moving them to safety.

Oleksandr Feldman, the founder of the park and a local MP, said the creatures may escape, as their enclosures have been damaged.

“Animal cages have been destroyed, all the infrastructure has been destroyed, but tigers and lions have miraculously survived,” said Feldman, as quoted by ABC News.

“Their cages have been badly damaged, and they can go outside at any moment.”

However, with time running out, all adult animals are “likely to be put down” as there’s no hope of sheltering them, he said.

In total, there are more than 6,000 animals at the zoo.

Meanwhile, photos from the Yasnogorodka Ostrich Farm and Family Ecopark, in a village on the outskirts of Kyiv, show animals that have starved to death.

Others have been eaten alive by desperate stray dogs, while several appear to have been shot at by Russian troops.

One volunteer, Vitaly Mukhanov, took to Facebook to tell of his horror after stumbling across the site while delivering supplies to Ukrainian soldiers.

“You can see from the images that the animals were in a very bad way,” he said.

Vitaly later told ABC News: “You could tell that many of the animals starved to death.”

“The town nearby was liberated from the Russians two days ago, so the owner is now returning to the zoo and they hope to evacuate the animals in the next couple of days.”

However, the attempt to rescue the animals may now be abandoned.

Akim Akimenko, the owner of Yasnohorodka Eco Park, told local news outlet MyKiev, “Our [zoo] is almost destroyed and the situation in Yasnohorodka is very difficult.”