An update from Natalie, our colleague in Ukraine
“When there is a war in the country, it is necessary to save people, not animals. Moreover, it is not time to spay and neuter them.
This is the opinion of those who do not care about either animals or people.
We know all the stories when refugees abandon all their belongings but save their pets. Or when people remain in occupied cities or under constant fire because they do not leave their animals.
Unfortunately, there is a downside to this situation – hundreds of refugees left their pets behind. Frightened, hungry and frozen, they not only need our help themselves, but they can also be the cause of great trouble for people. Most pet owners have not spayed their cats and dogs, so these animals breed uncontrollably on the streets.
Humanely controlling stray animals
Since 2013, the Naturewatch Foundation has financed a pet spay and neuter programme in Kharkiv for people who cannot afford such a surgery.
Hundreds of animals of pensioners, disabled people and private shelters were sterilized. This saved Kharkiv from the loads of puppies and kittens last year.
Of course, we did not completely solve the problem, because before the war, there were more than two million people there, and tens of thousands of their pets accordingly. In 2022, animals from the cities and villages that were on the front line also began to be transported to Kharkiv.
That is why it is so important now to continue what we started years ago.
In Kharkiv, seven veterinary clinics work with our volunteers. They carry out spay and neuter surgeries with discounts for volunteers and low-income owners. Also, our project covers assistance with such operations in Kupyansk, Zmiyov, Vovchansk and other towns of Kharkiv region.
Working together
In this difficult time, it is also very important to work together to multiply the positive results.
Therefore, we joined forces with other organizations and together with them created a work force to organize mass sterilization throughout Ukraine.
The goal of our group is to transform chaotic assistance to various cities from various organizations into consistent work for the creation of a humane system for controlling the population of dogs and cats in Ukraine.
We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the beginning has been made, and we are all ready to put in a lot of effort for a significant result.”
By Natalie Sorokopud, Naturewatch Foundation Campaign Coordinator, Ukraine
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