According to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, most of them refugees fleeing to neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. The U.N. refugee agency previously predicted that as many as 4 million Ukrainians could flee the country as the conflict continues.
Ukrainian refugees fled with their pets in their arms
Foreign media reports say that many Ukrainian refugees bring their beloved pets with them when they flee to neighboring countries, including small animals such as dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits and birds. At the same time, for pets abandoned by their owners, volunteer organizations from neighboring countries such as Poland and Romania have set up animal rescue shelters at border crossings, arranging for veterinarians to provide them with free emergency care, in vivo and in vitro deworming, pet chip implantation and rabies vaccination. In addition, in order to alleviate the "psychological trauma" of these small animals, volunteers also tried their best to soothe them.
Some refugees leave their pets at the Ukrainian border
Volunteers: Many animals suffered great trauma
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many Ukrainian refugees have fled Ukraine with pet dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits and birds. Zenaida fled Zaporizhia with seven family members and her dog, Moli, crammed into a train car carrying 250 people, which had stopped on the way due to air raid sirens. After more than a week's drive, Zeneda and her family arrived at a train station in Lublin, Poland.
Zenida, from Zaporizhia, Ukraine, fled with her pet dog, Moli
It is reported that some Ukrainian refugees directly carried their pets to the border crossing on foot, and some refugees specially used suitcases and other tools to load their pets and flee together. Irina, from Kharkiv, put two pet cats in baskets and fled with her two sons to the Polish border city of Przemyńr, waiting for a train ride to Berlin, Germany. Irina said she found comfort in her pet cat.
Irina put two pet cats in baskets and fled with her two sons to the Polish border city of Przemyńr
Of the 3 million refugees who have fled Ukraine, most are women and children. Shortly after the conflict broke out, Kiev citizen Trofimenko boarded the train to Hungary with her daughter, mother, and pet dog and cat, and she was grateful for the companionship and protection provided to her family during the evacuation. Trofimenko, "I can't leave a dog or a cat, I have to take responsibility." ”
Foreign media reported that 600 pets experienced hypothermia after "escaping" to the Polish border.
Due to the cold weather and traffic jams on the way out, some refugees have also chosen to "abandon" their pets, leaving them in Ukraine to "self-shelter" or handing them over to animal rescue volunteers at the border. Foreign media reported that 600 pets experienced hypothermia after "escaping" to the Polish border. In order to rescue the animals, some volunteer organizations have set up animal shelters at the Border of Ukraine. According to volunteers at the shelter, some of the abandoned pets also bore notes left by Ukrainian refugees.
Sonia, an animal shelter volunteer based on the Polish border, said the volunteers were doing their best to make the animals from the conflict zone "comfortable", and many of the animals were "traumatized and stressed". Volunteers pet the critters, play with them and provide them with necessities such as food and water. Sonia said: "Some of them are stray dogs and no one has ever taken care of them. Others are newly abandoned pet dogs, and some owners attach a letter that says 'Hope to find our dogs and cats again'. ”
Faced with feed shortages and inadequate veterinary care
Animal Rescue Worker: I didn't sleep in days
According to the UN REFUGEE agency, more than 1.83 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland, which is by far the largest recipient of Ukrainian refugees. Meanwhile, animal rescue workers at Polish border crossings and refugee transit centers are also the busiest. In two weeks, the ADA Foundation, an animal protection charity based in the city of Przemehill, has rescued more than 350 cats and dogs from Ukraine and sent them to Poland for treatment and care.
Polish veterinarian Jacob Kotowitz said he had "not slept for several days" to rescue Ukrainian animals.
"We haven't slept in days. My longest shift was 20 hours. After a 3-hour break, another car full of rescue animals arrived. Jacob Kotowitz, a veterinarian at the ADA Foundation, said, "It's tough, but we're not going to give up." The charity helps rehabilitate injured animals and helps homeless dogs and cats find new owners. Kotowitz said the animals' situation has become "terrible" since the conflict, facing challenges such as feed shortages and inadequate veterinary care.
Kotowitz added that many of the animals rescued from Ukraine were "in very bad condition" and that, combined with the pressure they were under in transit, rescue teams would provide them with services such as emergency care, diet feeding, pet chip implantation, and infectious disease testing and rabies vaccination. Kotowitz said some animals require "weeks of hospitalization and intensive treatment." He once encountered an animal that was unable to walk because of a spinal shot, and the agency was preparing a wheelchair for it, "we fight for every sick animal".
The animal protection volunteer group took to its social media to call on people to donate cat and dog cages
The Austrian-based animal protection group Four Paws set up shelter tents at train stations in Romania and provided free food, food bowls, transport cages, leashs and other items for the pets carried by Ukrainian refugees, and Hungary's animal protection volunteer group called on people on social media to donate cat cages and dog cages. At the same time, under the appeal of animal charities, the British government announced on the 13th that it will "bear" the cost of isolation of the pets of Ukrainian refugees, and the European Union also strongly recommends that its member states lift any travel restrictions related to the pets carried by Ukrainian refugees. Still, some animal protection groups say the countries still need more help for Ukrainian refugees fleeing with their pets.
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Edited by Guo Yu
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