Cats and dogs evacuated with residents of occupied Oleshky are receiving food, shelter and veterinary attention after reaching Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to UAnimals. The Ukrainian animal rescue and welfare organisation told Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia that all the animals in its care were alive, although some were weak. The evacuation took place amid a humanitarian crisis in the occupied city.
Veterinary examinations began on 1 November to establish the animals' condition and determine what treatment or other care they would need. At the time of the organisation's report, no owners had collected their pets, but some had contacted UAnimals to ask about them. The organisation said it would be able to give a fuller assessment of their health once the examinations were finished.
Preparations to receive the animals started a day before their evacuation. UAnimals did not know how many would arrive, which species would be among them or what condition they would be in. It arranged for any wild animals to go to a rehabilitation centre and for pets to receive veterinary checks before entering shelters if needed. Staff also coordinated with clinics and shelters and gathered food, water, cages, carriers and other supplies.
Two UAnimals teams, consisting of four staff members and a veterinarian, travelled to meet the buses bringing evacuees and their animals. After the convoys crossed the border from Belarus, the cats and dogs were taken to a veterinary clinic. The figures available to the organisation showed that dogs outnumbered cats among those evacuated.
Staff have counted the animals already received and compiled a list, with plans to digitise individual records. UAnimals intends to work with the Ukrainian human rights commissioner's office to help return pets to their families. A final total remains uncertain because animals are still arriving after accompanying their owners to hospital.
The mission to evacuate Oleshky residents concluded on 31 October. People were taken by bus from the occupied city, flown to Belarus and then brought to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said evacuees brought dogs, cats, a parrot and a raccoon. A vehicle equipped with cages was brought in to transport the animals.
The evacuees included people from Oleshky and nearby settlements, ranging in age from just over one year old to 94. UAnimals described the rescue as a complex humanitarian operation, with incoming information continuing to shape its work. It said further updates on the animals' condition and the assistance provided would be published on its social media pages.
