A young girl in a bright pink dress tiptoes around the edge of a cage containing a white Bengal tiger, as young couples walk by with strollers.

It might be a scene from an average family day out elsewhere. But in Ukraine, a giant new private zoo near Kiev is creating a buzz - and helping people forget the conflict wracking their country.

"We needed this place," Yevgen, the little girl's father, said. "Communication with animals calms you and distracts you from bad news. Life goes on no matter what."