Vienna, 22 October 2024 – The ongoing war in Ukraine, which started in early 2022, has displaced millions of citizens and left hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs suffering. Already before, an estimated 200,000 stray dogs were roaming the streets of Ukraine. Ever since the outbreak of the conflict, the situation was further aggravated, as many pets and shelter animals were forced to be left behind when their owners fled the country or fell victim to the attacks. To provide continued help for strays as well as pets of owners in need, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has started a new project in Ukraine together with the Ukrainian Veterinary Medicine Foundation (UVMF), providing free veterinary care in two charitable clinics in Zaporizhzhia and Irpin close to Kyiv.

One of the patients is dog Linda, who was found to be suffering from a heart condition during a check-up at the clinic in Irpin, where she received vaccinations and was neutered. Her disease is most likely the result of the traumatic stress she and her owner endured during shelling. “I am so grateful for this free treatment. My dog is very dear to me, that she could be helped is a true gift,” her owner Viktor Kornienko says. Previously, he had to flee from the war in Donezk and to leave everything behind when the fighting got too close to his home.

Pets are often all that people have left

Since the start of the project in August 2024, already more than 2,000 cats and dogs have received medical treatment and 430 were neutered at the two clinics.

As many pets go missing in times of conflict, FOUR PAWS is also supporting an initiative by the Ukrainian government to build a nationwide database for microchipped cats and dogs. To ensure more pets find their way back to their family, FOUR PAWS distributed chip readers to veterinary clinics and shelters.

FOUR PAWS animal welfare activities in Ukraine

FOUR PAWS has been helping stray animals in Ukraine since 2012. Despite the war, FOUR PAWS continues its much-needed work across Ukraine to help as many stray and abandoned animals as possible. Its catch-neuter-vaccinate-return (CNVR) projects, among them also a mobile clinic, are core elements of the successful Stray Animal Care work by reducing the stray populations in a sustainable and humane way. In total, over 50,000 stray dogs and cats were successfully sterilised and vaccinated and received additional medical treatment if needed. In its BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr, FOUR PAWS is also providing a species-appropriated forever home for 27 bears rescued from poor captivity. One of them is bear Bakhmut, who was named after the city he was found in by the military. He was found abandoned in a private backyard and was malnourished before being brought to FOUR PAWS in September 2022.