On Friday, Alexei Biloshytsky, first deputy head of the Department of Patrol Police of Ukraine, published a video on social media that garnered thousands of views. It shows an adult moose standing in the entrance of a multi-story building in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district and, according to Biloshytsky, "did not explain the reasons for its actions."
But an explanation exists — and it's geographical.
Where it came from
Sviatoshynskyi district borders the Bilychanskyy Forest — a natural reserve covering 6,462 hectares that has been part of Holosiivsky National Nature Park since 2014. This is where moose, roe deer, foxes, and beavers live. The forest is the largest natural massif within the European capital.
Development around the forest's perimeter has been ongoing since 2008 — activists and ecologists have been documenting for years how residential complexes encroach toward the trees. There is essentially no buffer zone between the forest and the yards: animals emerge where the trees end and the asphalt begins.
How it was rescued
The emergency line 112 received dozens of calls from residents before police found the animal. The distressed moose entered the entrance and hid there — an enclosed space could have cost it its life: a frightened large animal can cause injuries to both itself and people.
"A moose in the entrance. And this is not a joke. The 112 line is being flooded with calls from locals reporting a moose walking around the city. We came, searched, and there it is… standing in the entrance of a multi-story building, hiding."
Alexei Biloshytsky, first deputy head of the Department of Patrol Police of the National Police of Ukraine
Veterinary specialists were called to the scene. The animal was sedated and carried out by hand, after which it was taken back to the forest massif.
Not the first and not the last
According to the State Emergency Service, similar cases of wild animals entering urban areas occur at least several times per year. Kyiv is a rare case for Europe where a megacity with over three million residents preserves within itself a full-fledged natural habitat with large mammals.
- Moose are the largest animals in Bilychanskyy Forest, with males weighing up to 500 kg
- The species is not aggressive, but unpredictable under stress
- An enclosed space like an apartment building entrance is one of the most dangerous evacuation scenarios
This time everything ended well. But the question remains practical: if development continues along the border of Bilychanskyy Forest and buffer zones between the forest and yards do not appear — how many more calls to 112 will it take for the city to recognize this as a systemic problem rather than a curiosity?
