Ukraine Updates
October 28, 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.
The team starts their day at Animal Rescue Kharkiv’s (ARK) headquarters, planning stops in and around Kharkiv to rescue dogs and cats who need medical attention and drop off supplies of dog and cat food to the brave volunteers who distribute it daily to the abandoned animals they find. As they gear up with protective helmets and vests, a team member receives an urgent call from a Ukrainian soldier: His troop was evacuating people from their homes nearby when he discovered a terrified dog in a miserable state, left behind in a small, filthy kennel by owners who had fled. A tag around his neck read, “Boy.”
The team has rescued many animals like Boy during the war, and they soon arrive to free him from the kennel and secure him in their rescue van. They take him to a peaceful area of Ukraine, where a kind family is now caring for him and doing their best to calm his nerves and reassure him that he will never be abandoned again.
Another call for help comes through as the team is picking up more abandoned dogs. A refugee who had left cats behind is hoping to be reunited with them. The team sets out to find the animals, but as the van nears their destination, they’re stopped at a checkpoint. Ukrainian soldiers and armored vehicles are everywhere, and the team is turned away after being told the area has become much too dangerous due to mines left behind by retreating Russians. Rescuers call the refugee to break the disappointing news and help arrange for a neighbor who stayed behind to look after the cats until it’s safe to return.
As the sun is starting to set, the team finishes their delivery of dog and cat food to volunteers and heads back to ARK’s headquarters. There, they gather documents and vaccinate and microchip the newly rescued animals. They’re making arrangements for those who are well enough to travel to an animal shelter near the Hungarian border when air raid sirens start blaring. Their hearts feel like they’ll leap right out of their chests as bombs fall nearby, and the rescued cats and dogs are equally terrified. Fortunately, everyone makes it through the night unharmed, and when the sun rises, the team sets out for the border shelter with a van full of weary animal refugees who now have a chance at a better life.
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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.