According to the latest data from International Organization for Migration (IOM), since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine, and most of the refugees fled to neighboring countries such as Poland , Hungary, Moldova , Romania and Slovak . The UNHCR had previously expected that as many as 4 million Ukrainians could flee as the conflict continued.
Ukrainian refugees fled with their pets
Foreign media reports said that many Ukrainian refugees will bring their beloved pets when fleeing 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 ports, and arranged for veterinarians to provide them with free first aid care, internal and external deworming, pet chip implantation, and rabies vaccination services. In addition, in order to alleviate the "psychological trauma" of these small animals, volunteers also tried their best to comfort them.
Some refugees leave their pets at the Ukrainian border
Volunteers: Many animals have suffered major trauma
reported that since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many Ukrainian refugees have fled Ukraine with pet dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits and birds. Zeneda fled with seven family members and her dog Moli, who were crowded in a train carriage with 250 people, which had stopped on the way due to an air raid alarm. After more than a week's drive, Zeneda and her family arrived at a train station in Lublin, Poland.
Zeneda from Zaporoze, Ukraine, held her pet dog Moli and fled
It is reported that some Ukrainian refugees walked to the border port with their pets directly, and some refugees specially used suitcases and other tools to flee together. Irina from Kharkov put two pet cats in a basket and fled to the Polish border city of Przemecher with her two sons, waiting to take the train to Berlin, Germany. Irina said she found comfort from her pet cat.
Irina put two pet cats in a basket and fled to the Polish border city of Przemehil with her two sons
reported that most of the 3 million refugees who have escaped from Ukraine were women and children. Shortly after the conflict broke out, Trofimenko, a citizen of Kiev, took her daughter, mother, pet dog and cat on the train to Hungary. She was grateful for the company and protection provided by her pets to the family during the evacuation. Trofimenco, "I can't leave a dog or a cat, I have to bear the responsibility."
Foreign media reported that 600 pets experienced hypothermia after "escape" to the Polish border.
Due to the cold weather and blocked traffic on the way to escape, some refugees also chose to "give up" their pets and leave them in Ukraine for "take refuge on their own" or hand them over to animal rescue volunteers at the border. Foreign media reported that 600 pets experienced hypothermia after "escape" to the Polish border. In order to rescue the animals, some volunteer organizations have set up animal shelters at the Ukrainian border. Some abandoned pets also had notes left by Ukrainian refugees, according to volunteers at the shelter.
Animal shelter volunteers on the Polish border said that volunteers are trying their best to make these animals from conflict zones "comfortable" and many animals are "under great trauma and stressful". Volunteers caress the animals, play with them, and provide them with essentials such as food and water. Sonia said: "Some of them are stray dogs and no one has ever taken care of them. Some are newly abandoned pet dogs, and some owners will also attach a letter that says 'I hope to find our dogs and cats again'."
faces feed shortages and insufficient veterinary care
Animal rescue personnel: I haven't slept for several days
According to statistics from the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 1.83 million Ukrainian refugees fled to Poland, and Poland is the country with the largest number of Ukrainian refugees to date.Meanwhile, animal rescuers at Polish border ports and refugee transit centers are also the busiest. In two weeks, the animal protection charity "ADA Foundation" in Przemehir has rescued more than 350 cats and dogs from Ukraine and sent them to Poland for treatment and care.
Polish veterinarian Jacob Kotowitz said that in order to rescue Ukrainian animals, he "had not been sleeping for several days"
"We have not been sleeping for several days. My longest duty was 20 hours. After three hours of rest, another car full of rescue animals came." Jacob Kotowitz, a veterinarian at the ADA Foundation, said, "It's tough, but we won't give up." The charity is reported to help rehabilitate the injured animals and help homeless dogs and cats find new owners. Kotowitz said the situation of animals has become “bad” since the conflict, facing challenges such as feed shortages and insufficient veterinary care.
Kotowitz added that many animals rescued from Ukraine were “in very bad condition”, and combined with the pressure during transportation, the rescue team will provide services such as first aid care, dietary feeding, pet chip implants, and infectious disease testing and rabies vaccination. Some animals require "weeks of hospitalization and intensive treatment," Kotowitz said. He had encountered an animal that was unable to walk due to a spine shot, and the agency was preparing its wheelchair, "we fight for every sick animal."
Animal protection volunteer group called on people to donate cat cages and dog cages on its social media
Foreign media reported that the animal protection organization "Four Paws" headquartered in Austria set up shelter tents at a train station in Romania and provided free food, food bowls, transport cages, leashes and other items for pets carried by Ukrainian refugees. The Hungarian animal protection volunteer group called on people to donate cat cages and dog cages on its social media. At the same time, at the call of animal charity, the British government announced on the 13th that it would "bearable" the quarantine costs of Ukrainian refugees' pets, and EU also strongly recommended that its member states lift any travel restrictions related to pets brought by Ukrainian refugees. However, some animal protection groups say these countries still need to provide more help to Ukrainian refugees who flee with their pets.
Red Star News Reporter Hu Yiling
Edit Guo Yu
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