Vienna, 3 June 2022 – The war in Ukraine has entered its 100^th day and, FOUR PAWS, the global animal welfare organisation is running its Stray Animal Care (SAC) programme again in full capacity in Kyiv, Irpin, Bucha and five other cities (Korosten, Zythomyr, Vinnytsa, Uman, Mykolaiv) across Ukraine.

Prior to the war the SAC team was able to help around 300 animals per month and 30,000 since 2012 when FOUR PAWS first began work in the region. Now the team is able to deliver the same amount of urgently needed care to the countless homeless pets and terrified stray animals in the streets of Bucha and other locations. The important and courageous work consists of vaccinations, neutering and treatment of injuries but also of finding new homes for many animals.

The war has displaced millions of Ukrainians and hundreds of thousands of their pets and animals. The Kyiv area and northeast of the country was particularly affected during the first phase of the invasion and with the Russian military retreating, the full impact of their occupation becomes visible. The entire region in the north of Kyiv is destroyed, many human lives were lost, and houses and essential infrastructure like streets and hospitals are destroyed. Veterinary clinics and shelters, vital to provide care for pets that were left behind and stray animals, are also damaged or semi-abandoned. Many of the animals are terrified, injured and in need of urgent care. FOUR PAWS has set up a temporary veterinary care project in Belogorodka village, Kyiv Oblast, and is now helping in the areas of Bucha, Irpin and surroundings.

The SAC team in Ukraine

Manuela Rowlings, Head of Stray Animal Care (SAC) in Europe at FOUR PAWS, spoke about how key it was to ensure that its SAC team was working at full capacity. “After we had to temporarily suspend our SAC activities due to attacks across Ukraine we are proud to be back at running our activities since the beginning of April. We had to change the way we are operating though, with the team working in smaller groups and closer to home to avoid risks as much as possible in the current situation.

Oleksandr Nazaryshyn, veterinarian in Kyiv region who is supporting FOUR PAWS: “One of the biggest challenges is the constant stress. Not only among humans but also among the animals. Many cats and dogs escaped from their properties during air siren alerts and the shelling as they were scared of the loud noise, or due to damaged fences. At the moment we have a lot to do in our clinic and I sometimes have up to 15 patients a day.”

Background

FOUR PAWS has been working on companion animal projects in Ukraine since 2012 and the Stray Animal Care team has delivered much needed veterinary care to 30,000 stray dogs and cats in over 60 municipalities over the last ten years. The team in Ukraine is operating a mobile clinic, carrying out catch-neuter-vaccinate-return projects in different municipalities in the country.