Putin sends lions and bears to North Korea as ties strengthen

Russia has sent more than 70 animals to North Korea as a gift to its Pyongyang Central Zoo, highlighting growing ties between the two nations. The shipment included an African lion, two brown bears, two domestic yaks, 40 mandarin ducks, 25 pheasants and five white cockatoos.

Russian Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov accompanied the animals on a government plane and described the gesture as a symbol of “support, kindness and care” between the two countries.

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The animals are currently in quarantine and will move to enclosures at the zoo, a landmark in Pyongyang since 1959. Russian state media called the shipment “Vladimir Putin’s gift to the Korean people.”

This gesture comes amid deepening relations between Russia and North Korea. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership treaty. It marked the closest alliance between the two nations since the Cold War.

U.S. and South Korean intelligence reports indicate North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Western nations have expressed concerns this burgeoning partnership could lead to North Korea gaining advanced military technologies from Russia, potentially enhancing its missile programs. Pyongyang, facing severe economic challenges and international sanctions, has increasingly relied on Moscow for support.

The growing alliance has included multiple symbolic gestures. Earlier this year, Putin gifted Kim 24 purebred horses in apparent gratitude for artillery support provided by North Korea. Kim also received a Russian-made luxury limousine and other gifts during a visit to Russia.