heiko-goes-detroit reblogged
A service dog rescued from the fighting in Luhansk Oblast. Source: Facebook, the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU)
-Kharkiv volunteers have evacuated 18,800 animals from under fire during the 2.5 years of full-scale war, primarily dogs and cats, but also horses, wolves, and exotic fish.
-“Animal Rescue Kharkiv” evacuates 700-800 animals per month on average.
-About 20% of the evacuated animals are later taken by their owners.
-New homes are being sought for 1,500 thousand animals.
-The biggest challenge to animal rescue is ensuring evacuation under Russian shelling, drone attacks, and other harsh war conditions.
“We need vehicles and fuel. Volunteers work under fire and in off-road conditions—vehicles break down, and they get hit by shrapnel. For example, in May, we lost three vehicles in Vovchansk." —Yaryna Vintoniuk, Animal Rescue Kharkiv project representative
