Animals evacuated from occupied Oleshky arrive exhausted, some concussed
Animal rights group UAnimals is now caring for 87 animals evacuated from temporarily occupied Oleshky. Among them are exhausted cats and dogs, some with concussions or suspected tumours.
Ukrainian animal rights organisation UAnimals is currently caring for 87 cats and dogs evacuated from temporarily occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. The animals have been placed in veterinary clinics after a long and difficult journey alongside residents of the city, who were taken out in an evacuation mission that ended on 31 October. The organisation says some of the animals are weakened, while others have concussions or suspected tumours.
The journey to the clinics
In Ukrainian-controlled territory, the UAnimals team met the animals at night, moved them into special transport and delivered them to clinics. Some cats and dogs arrived frightened, exhausted and dirty. The organisation says that on arrival they were placed in warm, dry rooms under veterinary supervision and given food and water.
Some evacuees travelled on buses together with their pets and went to hospitals with them. The animals still needed check-ups, so on 1 and 2 November the team collected almost all the cats and dogs and took them to clinics.
Medical condition
The animals are now in six veterinary clinics. Some are weakened, some have concussions, and some need dental treatment. Several are scheduled for further examinations over suspected tumours or hernias, and one animal will likely need surgery. Veterinarians are awaiting test results to confirm diagnoses and decide on treatment.
Anastasiia Heichuk, head of the rescue department at UAnimals, said that in the hospital wards people first asked where their animals were, since they did not yet know whether the pets had arrived or in what condition. Some had left with almost no belongings but took their pets along.
What happens next
UAnimals says most of the animals have families and will be able to return to them, while the rest will go to shelters. The organisation covers the costs of care and treatment and has not launched a separate fundraiser for this mission.
The evacuation took people out of the occupied city by bus, after which they were flown to Belarus. From there they crossed the border in Chernihiv Oblast into Ukrainian-controlled territory. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, said evacuees brought dogs, cats, a parrot and even a raccoon.
