750,000 dogs and 5.5 million cats have lived in Ukraine as of 2014. Thousands of them, large dogs in particular, have been abandoned by owners.
Volunteers rescue abandoned and stray animals, maintain shelters, provide feed and evacuate pets to Poland.
They risk their lives daily: three animal rescue volunteers were killed in Kharkiv while delivering dog food. Situation in zoos in war zones and in occupied territories is desperate.
The Feldman Ecopark zoo in Kharkiv was damaged. Animals at “12 Months Zoo” near Kyiv and at Mykolaiv Zoo have begun to die from starvation and cold, as owners are running out of resources, and logistical chains take time to reset.
As Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group reposts, one-third of the wildlife protection areas and sites, including two biosphere reserves, are currently located in active war zones or under occupation. The biggest short-term threat are the raging fires and noise pollution that result from active combat and shelling.
The Ukrainian government cannot deliver help to these territories, because its interventions are limited by the Russian occupation forces and bureaucratic difficulties.
As at zoos, tourism no longer provides income, and logistics has been substantially complicated. As a result, natural reserves are in dire need of fodder, medicine and enclosure re-equipment, as well as solutions for evacuation, repair and re-equipment of its own special critical infrastructure.
Animal welfare competes with the security of humans. Qualified staff of nature reserves have lost their livelihoods and need evacuation from the zones of active hostilities: caretakers of nature reserves along with the nature reserves themselves need help. Families abandon their pets prioritising their own and their children’s security. Volunteers come to rescue, restoring logistical chains, planning evacuations for people and animals, and fundraising to cover unpredictable costs of animal rescue.
Speakers: Oleksii Vasyliuk, expert of Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group Volunteers of the animal shelter “Sirius”.
Support pets and wildlife in Ukraine by donating to these trusted initiatives:
- Ukraine Nature Conservation Group – Let’s save Ukrainian wildlife in times of war together! Donate here: https://uncg.org.ua/save-wildlife-in-war/.
- Homeless Animal Shelter SIRIUS – the biggest shelter for dogs and cats in Ukraine in Fedorivka, Kyiv Oblast. Donate here: https://linktr.ee/sirius.shelter.
- Shelter Ugolyok – non-profit sanctuary for domestic animals and pets from all over Ukraine. Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/ShelterUgolyok.
- UAnimals – a Ukrainian animal rights organisation that helps animals during the war. Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/uanimals.
- Charitable Fund Happy Paw – a dog and cat sanctuary. Donate here: https://happypaw.ua/en/contribution.
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Ukrainian Catholic University’s analitical center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
NGO Euroatlantic Course collects donations to support Ukrainian Army and civilians – https://eac.org.ua/en/main-page/.
