Checkpoint Zoo

In the early days of the Russian invasion some of the fiercest fighting took place on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine's 2nd largest city, where there was a zoo home to over 5,000 animals.

Five weeks after the invasion the zoo’s founder posted a desperate plea to social media - the relentless shelling had left thousands of animals trapped in their cages with little food or water. Within 24 hours, a group of volunteers had appeared on Feldman’s doorstep, offering to help in any way they could. Thanks to footage captured by the zookeepers, volunteers, and news media on those fateful days, filmmaker Joshua Zeman has reconstructed the events of a zoo rescue.