NEWS AND COMMENT: This is an effective but distressing video of Ukrainian animal rescuers rescuing cats and dogs in the almost totally destroyed Ukrainian town of Avdiivka from which Ukrainian troops withdrew as it had been surrounded by Russian troops and artillery for a long time. Ukrainian military commanders decided it was wiser to retreat and take up positions elsewhere. It would seem that the animal rescuers that we see in the video decided to remove any cats and dogs they could find from Avdiivka in order to save them.
But they do say that many of the dogs have become feral and I’m sure the same applies to once domestic cats. They’ve reverted to their wild nature when abandoned in this dystopian (but real) landscape of massive destruction.
For me, the video shows the dirty, messy and chaotic life forced upon Ukrainians in the Donbass region and in this instance Avdiivka, where the animals must be suffering as much as the people, perhaps more so. It’s wonderful, though, to see compassionate people taking the time and risking their lives to save them.
PETA Germany is supporting animal rescuers in Ukraine. They are scouring the war-torn streets for traumatised dogs and cats they say. The video also shows the aftermath of a drone attack on a vehicle apparently carrying cats and dogs. With great good fortune they survived but they scattered and are lost.
PETA Germany has organised a “robust network of animal rescuers, volunteers and activists to help as many animals as they possibly can.”
During this horrendous war, the focus has naturally been on innocent Ukrainian citizens being killed or surviving in basements underneath destroyed apartment blocks.
There is a need also to shine a light on the horrendous conditions under which companion animals have been left to survive.
No doubt many are terrified by the explosions and their shattered lifestyles. In the video we see one dog on a chain. No doubt this dog was kept on a chain permanently before the war started and the animal is still on that bloody chain so she can’t escape. It’s just absolutely horrendous. It makes me weep to think about it.
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