Ukraine Updates
November 4, 2022
Since just days after the war in Ukraine started in February 2022, PETA Germany and its partners have been risking it all to save animals in need. From flooding to missile strikes, Global Compassion Fund–backed teams have risked it all to help Ukraine’s animals. Meet some of the beautiful souls who now have a second chance at life because of your support.
Atya was trying to survive on Kharkiv’s battle-scarred streets without anyone to help her, scavenging through garbage and other debris to find anything to fill the void in her aching stomach. And she was always on the alert—any hope of having a restful, deep sleep was long gone. Then this poor girl’s life went from awful to much worse.
When PETA Germany and its partner Animal Rescue Kharkiv met Atya amid the chaos, she was cowering in pain in a puddle of her own blood. The team scooped her up and did their best to slow the bleeding as they rushed her to a nearby clinic.
Her shoulder had been blown to bits, and the veterinarian quickly got her into surgery, cleaning out the debris and installing a metal plate. Thankfully, the procedure was a success, although Atya would have to stay in Kharkiv until she was well enough to make the trip to a shelter in Hungary.
While her physical battle scars heal, she needs emotional care to overcome the trauma she’s endured. Today, Atya is at a partner trauma center in Budapest that has been helping animals recover from the mental scars they carry. She’s in a pack now and starting to regain her confidence—each day reaching new heights in her recovery. Thanks to PETA Germany and its partners, she’s now well on her way to a better life.
Rescued!
More than 1,800 animals have been pulled from crisis areas in Ukraine and brought to safety. The work entails more than simply transporting the animals from one location to another. Teams ensure that they are given veterinary care, are vaccinated, are lovingly cared for, and wait out the required quarantine period in shelters that have all been inspected and approved by PETA Germany. Once all of the necessary paperwork and blood tests for rabies have been completed, the animals then have a chance to find a loving home through partner shelters in Germany or they’re reunited with their guardians.
The team has expanded the capacity of private animal shelters in Ukraine and Hungary, where animals wait out quarantine, creating more than 250 additional enclosures.
Donate Now!
PETA’s Global Compassion Fund is supported exclusively by the contributions of kind individuals like you. Your gift is helping PETA entities and partners create positive, sustainable change in corners of the Earth where animals desperately need assistance—and may have no other hope.