The International Charitable Foundation \u201cOleksandr Feldman Foundation\u201d has submitted to the embassies of the EU countries (in particular, Germany, France and UK), the USA, Canada and other countries, as well as to the religious leaders, who are the members of the Supervisory Board of Feldman Ecopark (Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Pope Francis, Dalai Lama, imam Ibrahim Mogra) an appeal, in which it informs about the pressure on Feldman Ecopark.<\/p>\n
The same appeals were submitted to the international organizations, which the Foundation and Ecopark has partnership relations with: Religions for Peace, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), Euro-Asian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EARAZA), Leibniz Association (Germany), etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe International Charitable Foundation \u201cOleksandr Feldman Foundation\u201d carries out charitable activities in Ukraine and abroad for more than 20 years. During this time, it has implemented (independently and in cooperation with its partners from different countries) more than a hundred of humanitarian projects of social, medical and rehabilitation, environment and animal protection, scientific and educational, cultural and sports orientation, therefore becoming one of Ukraine\u2019s largest charitable foundation and being highly assessed worldwide. Feldman Ecopark has recently become a flagship project of the Foundation, as it is annually attended by several millions visitors from dozens of countries all over the world,\u201d the message says. \u201cFeldman Ecopark is a multifunctional social and humanitarian multi-complex with a huge, open for everyone and charge-free territory for rest and health improvement located on the outskirts of Kharkiv. It includes the animal collection with more than 2,000 animals, the Centre for Psychosocial Rehabilitation of children and adults, which applies the modern technologies of eco-therapy and animal-assisted therapy, the centres for rescue and reintroduction of rare species of animals, Children\u2019s Ecology and Nature Study Academy, and other units. Ecopark constantly arranges excursions, cultural and educational events, and sports competitions. Meanwhile, it should be noted that all of the activities are financed only at the expense of the International Charitable Foundation \u201cOleksandr Feldman Foundation\u201d and its partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
The appeal emphasizes that one of the key principles of activities of Feldman Ecopark from the moment of its founding is tolerance and apolitical nature, excluding discrimination on any grounds and its use for political purposes. However, the attempts of political pressure on Feldman Ecopark have recently become more frequent and there are some alarming signals about the wish to use it by politicians to achieve their goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe latest similar attempt of political attack on Feldman Ecopark was the appearance of a draft resolution in Kharkiv Regional Council about its renaming, namely the removal of the name of its founder and philanthropist Oleksandr Feldman from the Ecopark\u2019s name. This legally-questionable and exceptionally politically motivated initiative indicates that some of the politicians are not satisfied with the principles of Feldman Ecopark and its popularity among the residents of Kharkiv region, as well as numerous tourists. That is why we do not exclude the possibility of new attempts of pressure on Feldman Ecopark. We ask you to pay attention to this problem and support Feldman Ecopark and the movement of civil society wishing to support it. It has already shaped into a flash mob of many thousands and a massive picket near the Kharkiv Regional Council on August 15,\u201d they said in the ICF \u201cOleksandr Feldman Foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"