Wojciech Tohman: Documenting Animal Suffering Amidst Conflict
Wojciech Lukasz Tohman is visiting our national nature park "Tuzlivski Limany" in Odesa for the second time to gather information about the suffering of wildlife during the ongoing war against Ukraine by Russia.
Over the past few years, he has traveled to numerous countries and conflict zones, noting that Ukrainians have, for the first time in history, shown remarkable dedication and persistence in helping injured animals, rescuing thousands of both domestic and wild creatures.
He began his journalism career as a student, writing for the youth magazine "Na przełaj". From 1990 to 2004, he worked as a reporter for "Gazeta Wyborcza". Between 1996 and 2002, he was the author and host of the TV program "Has Anyone Heard, Has Anyone Seen" on the TVP1 channel. In 1999, he founded the ITAKA Foundation, which works to find missing persons and assists their families. He continues to volunteer there. He has also taught at the University of Warsaw's Journalism Institute.
In recent years, he has authored several books based on materials collected from various conflict zones. His works have been translated into English, Arabic, French, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Bosnian, Russian, Dutch, and Ukrainian.
Wojciech gifted three of his signed books to our park team:
- Wojciech Tohman. "You Seem to Have Eaten a Stone". Translated by Andriy Bondar. – Kyiv: "Choven", 2022 (about the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina).
- Wojciech Tohman. "Today We Will Paint Death". Translated by Andriy Bondar. – Kyiv: "Choven", 2023 (about the genocide in Rwanda).
- Wojciech Tohman. "The Crowing of Roosters, the Howl of Dogs". Translated by Andriy Bondar. – Kyiv: "Choven", 2024 (about the genocide in Cambodia).
These books are not for the faint of heart, as they reveal the deep cruelty of humanity towards one another, yet they also share many examples of heroism and humanism.
Currently, Wojciech is finishing a book about the impact of Russia's war on animals, featuring brave Ukrainian individuals who rescue animals in combat zones and help them survive.
In three photos, Ivan Rusev is seen with Wojciech and his assistant at the Magalevsky liman, where true Tuzla salt is formed.
Ivan Rusev, head of the research department of the Park.
