When hostilities begin, not only cities and villages turn into ruins, but also the fate of many pets, who are suddenly left without protection and care. These innocent creatures often end up on the street, not understanding what has happened and why their owners can no longer care for them.
Imagine a dog that spent its whole life in a cozy apartment or in a yard where there was always food, water and love. And suddenly her world is destroyed – the war forces the owners to leave the house or, even worse, as a result of the hostilities, her owners die. This animal remains alone, on the street, without any idea how to survive in new, harsh conditions.
Abandoned animals not only starve, but also face many other dangers. In cities that have become war zones, animals risk being shot at, injured or killed. They often fall into traps, not knowing how to find a safe place. Without protection and support, they become extremely vulnerable to disease, and lack of food and clean water leads to exhaustion and death of many of them.
Crimes against animals during wartime
War, in addition to terrible human casualties and destruction, also brings incredible suffering to animals. Their fates during hostilities often remain in the background, although crimes against them also have severe consequences for society and the ecosystem in general. Conventionally, these crimes can be divided into three categories: against domestic animals, farm animals and wild animals kept in captivity, such as zoos or sanctuaries. Each of these groups will experience terrible suffering and loss that will have consequences both during and after the war.
Ukraine has had a difficult situation with homeless animals for a long time. Before the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, according to experts, there were about 50,000 animals without owners on the streets of Ukrainian cities, but now this figure has increased significantly and exceeds 140,000. There are currently no accurate data on the number, because the country still lacks a single system of registration and identification of animal owners. It should be noted that 84% of homeless animals were thrown away by their previous owners, that is, they are socialized animals that have gotten used to people.
The war deepened the problems of animals. Cruelty to animals, their exploitation in the field of entertainment and other troubles remained on the agenda. However, another threat was added to them – direct danger to their lives due to shelling and bombing, as well as death from hunger and the consequences of hostilities. In addition, mined territories lead to the death of not only people, but also animals, causing fires and destruction of natural habitats.
One of the most glaring problems is ecocide – the extermination of entire groups of animals and plants. The scale of this tragedy is huge: at least 50,000 dolphins in the Black Sea and more than 6 million domestic animals in Ukrainian farms have already died as a result of military operations.
In addition, the war destroyed 3.3 million farm animals, including:
- 3.2 million birds;
- 81,900 pigs;
- 19,800 sheep;
- 5,900 cattle.
The largest poultry farm in Europe, the pride of the Kherson region, lost 3 million chickens in the first days of the full-scale invasion. The Russian Federation destroyed the local power plant that supported the operation of the automated feeding system. The poor birds simply died a long and painful starvation death.
Dairy farms in Kharkiv Oblast, Sumy Oblast, and Zaporizhzhia are also cynically shelled, destroying hundreds of thousands of cows, pigs, and other livestock. So, for example, 7,500 pigs starved to death in Sumy Oblast, and 1,500 pigs died from bombing in Zhytomyr Oblast.
In Gostomel, the Russian Federation hit the stable, in which all the horses were burned alive. And in the Borodyansky shelter for animals, after the “visit” of the enemy, out of 485 animals, only 150 survived, but they were in a severe frozen state.
The Feldman Ecopark, located near Kharkiv, also became one of the tragic victims of the war in Ukraine. Starting from February 24, 2022, its territory was repeatedly subjected to artillery and missile attacks by Russian troops. This led to the death of many animals, including unique and rare species that were kept in the park to preserve and restore populations. One of the most tragic events was the destruction of elephants, rhinoceroses, lions and tigers. Dozens of primates and other smaller animals also died as a result of the shelling.
Representatives of the park repeatedly tried to evacuate the animals, but due to constant hostilities, it was extremely difficult to do so. In total, more than 100 animals have died, and the number continues to rise. Despite all the difficulties, park employees, often risking their own lives, try to care for the remaining animals. There were cases when workers were injured or even died while trying to save the animals.
In addition, it is not easy for animal shelters, they are full all over Ukraine. Before the war, many of them were already at the limit of possibilities, and now each of them has twice or even three times more animals. It is especially difficult for shelters in the war zone. Many of them are almost completely destroyed. Some animals starved to death or were left to fend for themselves. Often they simply could not be evacuated due to active hostilities.
Animals on the front lines are also injured and killed. That’s why organizations like UAnimals work every day to evacuate these animals from dangerous areas, but providing them with a safe haven remains a challenge.
Tragic pet stories
Tamara from the Kyiv region was forced to stay in the war zone for a long time, as there was no place for her pets in the warehouse, and a woman could not betray and leave them at will.
“There were no food reserves at home, because the day before I took everything to people in the bomb shelter. No medicines, no food, I am alone, surrounded by Russians. We had to imperceptibly let the animals into the yard to do “their” business, to cook the leftovers of porridge and food on a home-made stove.
I tried somehow to get in touch so that I could be evacuated, but the head of the village community told me to drop my dogs and run to the center, no one would follow me. I decided to stay with them again. After some time, a stranger was able to evacuate me and the animals, I am infinitely grateful to her“, Tamara remembers those terrible moments.
Veterinarian Karina Shustyk believes that our pets are no less capable of experiencing stress than we are.
“Literally a day after the start of the full-scale war, my dog started turning gray due to stress. Stress can affect the health of animals, including changing the color of their fur.”
“Our goats, cows, rabbits have never given birth to live animals since the full-scale invasion. My parents and I don’t know the reason. Neighbors say that they have the same situation with animals. Terrible. It’s scary,” says Veronika from the Kherson region.
Missile attacks, explosions, sirens, constant shots – all this scares the poor animals, forcing them to lose their sense of reality, to run away from the world.
“I was looking for my cat Chip everywhere, I already thought that somewhere he had died from stress or had been blown up by a mine. She could not find him for more than a month. But on the second day after the liberation of the village, he came home. He lost a lot of weight, became nervous and angry. And it still doesn’t work,” says Marina from Kharkiv Oblast.
How volunteers save defenseless animals
From the very beginning of the war, various animal protection organizations and volunteer organizations were instantly activated throughout Ukraine to save the lives of our furry friends. These brave and kind people bravely plunged into the very hell of hostilities to rescue as many injured animals as possible and give them hope for a new life. As a result of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP and the flooding of people’s homes, there were simply inhumane cases when owners abandoned their pets to their own devices. Volunteers immediately began to take care of this critical situation, catching and rescuing hungry, lonely animals for their further placement in new, comfortable shelters.
Thanks to the sensitivity and care of the workers of animal protection organizations and volunteers, more than 80% of homeless animals have already been saved. In addition, there is a charitable animal sterilization project known as “12 Sentinels”. A team of volunteers worked in the western territories of Ukraine, where people left their pets to fend for themselves when crossing the state border. Due to these cruel actions, homeless animals became more and more. Forming hungry aggressive packs, they became a real threat to people, unknowingly spreading dangerous diseases. At the same time, there are a large number of heroic people throughout the country who do not evacuate precisely because of the desire to take care of abandoned animals. Numerous spontaneous shelters began to be formed, which provided poor animals with food, a roof over their heads, warmth and the necessary care.
To a greater extent, rescue now depends on the activities of the volunteers themselves, who draw the attention of the community to violations of animal rights, arrange temporary housing for them, take them out of the combat zone and try to find new responsible owners. Performing such a worthy duty, volunteers often risk their own lives. During missions to save poor domestic animals by members of the organizations, the occupiers fired cynically at the activists and tried to harm not only them, but also the animals that were being carried by the rescuers. Enemy shelling can only complicate the evacuation of animals, because small animals quite naturally feel fear from loud sounds, run away, hide, panic and look for attempts to escape. And in their mournful big eyes, a silent question is read: “Why did the owners leave us and what should we do now?”.
During the occupation of Borodyanka, none of the people took care of the local animals, as a result of which 222 of them died, and the rest were in an extremely exhausted and neglected state. The “Khvostata Banda” organization immediately went to the scene and started walking with pets, bringing them food and helping them find a new family. After Borodyanka was released, volunteers managed to evacuate 27 dogs from her, who were in critical condition. Unfortunately, four of them did not survive the long journey and died. Subsequently, activists returned to the scene together with the Security Service of Ukraine and were able to complete the evacuation of animals, saving 263 dogs this time.
“Many dogs died not of thirst or hunger, but of fear. They were antisocial and scared. However, even in the absence of food and water, the animals did not give in to their instincts – there was not a single dog that was specifically torn apart to be eaten.”, — says Iryna Isayeva, a rescue team volunteer.
In general, the number of cats and dogs in shelters increased by 20-30% in all regions of the country, and by 60% in front-line areas, and by 100% in shelters in the immediate vicinity of the front. Most of these animals are former pets, abandoned to their own devices. In Kharkiv, the number of such animals has almost tripled. However, the number of people willing to adopt pets has also increased by 50%. The situation with the increase in the number of abandoned animals is influenced to a greater extent by the legislation of Ukraine. Previously, there was a ban on the admission of people with pets to the shelters, which forced them to leave the animals to their own devices.
Thanks to the timely work of volunteer organizations, which emphasized the violation of animal rights, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine canceled the rule on not admitting animals to shelters. Now, under new legislation, pets are allowed to stay in shelters with their owners. Animal owners, in turn, are obliged to provide them with conditions that meet biological, species and individual needs, to constantly supervise their pets and to guarantee the safety of others and their property.
Currently, adaptation events are being held in the capital, during which veterinarians and dog trainers provide free trainings to help everyone successfully adapt animals in their homes. Veterinarians also perform free sterilizations and rabies vaccinations of animals of internally displaced persons, military personnel and their families, people with disabilities and pensioners.
People say “we are responsible for those who have been tamed.” But in the conditions of war, when houses are destroyed and lives are destroyed, those who cannot protect themselves – animals – are often forgotten. Each of us can help – support volunteers, help shelters or simply do not pass by when we see a defenseless animal on the street. Only together can we give these animals hope for survival and find them a new home.
