Themes by tag: animals

Oleksii Surovtsev is a Ukrainian actor. At the beginning of the all-out russia invasion, he responded to a request to save a cat in Irpin. Since then, people have been asking him to take to safety their pets (cats and dogs) now and again.  Despite all the risks, he took the animals out of Irpin daily. And after the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the Kyiv region from the invaders, he set up a cat shelter and is now building a veterinary clinic.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park together with Green Leaf NGO are holding an awareness raising event “Protect the dolphins — save the Black Sea.” The goal is to educate people about the impact of military operations on cetaceans in the Black Sea.

The park will present the results of its work in 2022. They monitored the death of dolphins caused by the war in the park. According to experts’ estimates, about 50,000 animals died. Hundreds of dolphins suffered concussions, which had never happened in the Black Sea before.

Book “War is the peak of the ecocide of Black Sea cetaceans” by Doctor of biological sciences Ivan Rusev, Head of the Research Department of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, and “Black Sea Dolphins” poster will be presented at the event.

The event will take place in Odesa on April 21.

(April 22 is International Earth Day around the world)For reference: The Ministry of the Environment notes that, due to russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 600 species of animals and 750 species of plants and mushrooms are currently under threat of extinction.

• animals
• ecology
• russian crimes
• Odesa

In Irpin, Kyiv region, volunteers of “Zoopatrol” NGO opened a shelter for rescued animals. Currently, there are rescued animals from Irpin amalgamated territorial community, as well as those brought by volunteers during their evacuation missions (Izyum, Kharkiv region, Bohorodychne and Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region).  

In particular, a cat named Beta lives in the shelter now. Volunteers brought him from Izyum, Kharkiv region, immediately after its de-occupation. The cat used to live in the barrel of the destroyed russian Solntsepyok multiple rocket launcher. By the way, Beta has already found his new owners abroad.

There are about 70 dogs and 63 cats in the shelter.

For reference: “Zoopatrol” is an NGO that was formed at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to rescue, evacuate, provide treatment and find homes for animals that have suffered from war and human cruelty.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On March 15, a demonstration of the work of service dogs will take place in Obukhiv district, Kyiv region. During the event, dog handlers will demonstrate the work of service dogs including arresting criminals, searching for explosives and drugs, as well as investigative work.

The participants will include: Head of Kyiv region police, General Andrii Nebytov and dog handlers with police dogs.

In addition, the event will feature a presentation of the newest cars for canine units of Kyiv region donated by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Accreditation is required.

• animals
• Kyiv

Psychologist Oksana Sliepova works with families of veterans, fallen soldiers and internally displaced persons using dog-assisted therapy: a method of positive psychosocial influence on people with the assistance of trained therapy dogs. According to Oksana, the list of problems that children are currently facing includes  panic attacks, depression, night terrors, fear of the dark or of being alone.

Oksana Sliepova has been working as a psychologist for more than 19 years at the Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation of the Population, which was founded to help people affected in Chornobyl tragedy.

• animals
• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv

This spring, more than 19 new animal pairs were created in Kyiv Zoo. (Zoo officials explain that couples and families are created for different reasons: in order to breed or just for a company, according to the zoo’s strategic collection planning). Recall that the zoo has sheltered almost 400 animals from the affected areas of the country. 

Among other things, the employees are currently arranging a whole family ranch for the newly created raccoon family, as the family is quite large: these are 16 animals, including nine rescued from the war.

• animals
• Kyiv

russia’s full-scale invasion had a negative impact on the lives of pets. In particular, many animal shelters are overcrowded in Odesa. People who are forced to leave abroad often leave their pets behind, and these can be adult animals that are used to living inside instead of being kept in enclosures. In addition, volunteers care for and treat animals that have become homeless due to the war. In addition, the military bring many animals from the combat zone to animal rights activists.

Activists can show and tell journalists how the war changes the lives of pets.

• animals
• Odesa

Volunteers in Kyiv region make special bulletproof vests for dogs. They are handed over to the canines of the National Guard, the State Emergency Service and “Antares” canine search and rescue team. Protective equipment is necessary for dogs that take part in demining and search and rescue operations. So far, volunteers have already produced and handed over two dozen of these bulletproof vests to the special services.

• animals
• Kyiv

“Riding into the Future” project holds therapeutic horse riding classes for military personnel who have musculoskeletal disorders and amputated limbs after participating in combat.

The project was founded by a married couple of Oleksandra and Vasyl. Now Vasyl himself is at the front, so Oleksandra, together with Natalka, the founder of “DoloniDotyk” (a Touch of a Hand) NGO holds horse riding classes for wounded soldiers every week.

• animals
• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Lviv

A lion has recently been evacuated to the Wild Animal Rescue Center in the Kyiv region from the Sumy region — the animal was in territory shelled by russians. Also, a lemur from Kherson city lives in the Center. He survived the occupation and a russian missile hit on the petting zoo where he was cared for. Now they and many other wild animals are recovering, the Center takes care of and treats them.

In general, since the beginning of full-scale invasion of the russian federation in Ukraine, the Wild Animal Rescue Center has hosted more than 600 animals of various species (lions, bears, tigers, wolves, leopards, wild birds, raccoons, etc.). The volunteers evacuated animals, in particular, from front-line zones and other dangerous territories.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv