When counting the casualties of war, there is rarely an idea of the animal kingdom beyond our own bipedal species. It is assumed that Mother Nature will simply “adapt”, with its less evolved inhabitants abandoning old habitats and finding new ones on their own when they have to. Checkpoint Zoo is training its lens on about 5,000 animals that wouldn’t have that option — the Russian invasion of Ukraine left them trapped in cages or pens in a no-go zone among enemy forces, terrorized and sometimes killed by missile strikes.
Joshua Ziman’s documentary chronicles the courageous efforts to save them, first from starvation, then by transportation to new homes. There’s no shortage of suspense, human interest or unique animal footage in this intriguing film, whose broad appeal should ensure widespread exposure – at least among allied nations.
Wealthy businessman Oleksandr Feldman founded Feldman Ecopark outside his native Kharkiv to share his love of animals with the public. In addition to separate viewing environments (alpaca farm, monkey house, predator area, etc.), there were programs targeting children with special needs, youth education, animal-assisted mental health therapy, and more.
It all ended on February 24, 2022, when Russia began what is called here “the largest European invasion since the Cold War.” Despite its ideal location within easy reach of the city in peacetime, it turns out to be in exactly the wrong place in the middle of armed conflict. It was closer to the Russian border than Kharkiv, so the initial surprise attack found it in the path of heavy artillery. There was immediate severe damage and emergency crews were evacuated. The invading enemy forces were repelled as soon as Ukrainian forces began fighting. But the site is now in a dangerous “gray zone” and vulnerable to strikes from both sides, where explosives may be dropped by accident or design.
By the time anyone dared to return – at great personal risk – the park’s permanent residents had not been fed for a week, and were further traumatized by the constant bombing. Heating, water and electricity were cut off in the middle of winter. With the city and surrounding communities devastated by the air attack, many fled the area and only about 10% of the facility’s staff remained. A week later, two of them came face to face with Russian soldiers and were unceremoniously shot to death.
This dire situation caught the attention of Timofey Kharchenko, a young veterinarian still working on his doctorate. He recruited several friends whom he called “the Boys” into volunteer efforts that greatly relieved a severely overworked staff. Energy This brings much infection, and the recklessness of youth necessary for the work is perhaps so dangerous that one of the veteran workers is killed by a rampaging lion that he has been feeding for years.
The animals feel stressed, exhausted, aggressive and confused by this alarming change in their routine. When the roof of the Monkey House is destroyed during a bombing, some of its residents die of heart attacks. Russian troops shoot pets in the petting zoo area, just for fun. Other species are located in areas dangerously close to enemy lines, and almost starve to death before they can be reached.
An air raid hits the Big Cat compound, and it’s a miracle no one escapes into the surrounding countryside. However, it is now clear that the means for a complete evacuation must be found, although the funds, manpower and equipment for it are nowhere in sight. Oleksandr and the foundation’s media director Vadim Vorotynsky are asking for help from “the whole world,” helped in large part by The Boys’ videos of endangered tapirs, zebras, camels, bears, marigolds and others. In the end, more than 10,000 people and organizations provided the means to successfully move about 4,700 animals to new homes in safer areas, at least temporarily.
Early on, “Checkpoint Zoo” includes a fair amount of footage that was very likely filmed after the events depicted — not just interviews but sweeping drone views, great close-ups of the creatures, and so on. However, any question about the deft ingenuity of the reporting is quickly overtaken by terrifying sequences in which camera phones record the efforts in the middle of air strikes. The Russians seem to realize that whenever any employee or volunteer arrives at the park, they always start bombing a few minutes later.
The good humor with which these humans are under attack is admirable, but we are reminded that this is no joke when a visiting staff member’s teenage son is murdered. As Russian prisoners of war are captured shortly thereafter, we also briefly witness the real hostility between the occupied people and the agents of their plight.
Some likable characters and moments lighten the intensity of the more unnerving episodes. Andrii is particularly engaging, a gentle giant who found his calling working with animals after years of homelessness and addiction. There are inherently comedic scenes as the founder’s house filled with collected valuables becomes a “Noah’s Ark” for the evacuees, with one caracal (an adorable-looking wild cat) completing a surprise in the bathroom late at night.
Then there’s the joy of seeing kangaroos forcibly pulled to safety by their tails, stubborn goats slung over people’s shoulders, unexpectedly adorable tapirs, drugged cheetahs, an ostrich chased in a rescue truck, and so on. But the cuteness factor definitely sits in the middle of parts like one in which a ranger notes that it’s difficult to teach an animal not to set off a land mine.
Given the little name recognition Leonardo DiCaprio has among executive producers, “Checkpoint Zoo” wisely avoids political rhetoric or anything else outside of its narrow storytelling focus, despite occasional glimpses of foreign TV news. A prolific producer whose previous directorial projects have been largely in the true crime vein, Zeman brings a great deal of polish and suspense to this exercise in documentary narrative’s most compelling, “You’re There.”