Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Animals and people in Ukraine are in desperate need of help to stay warm amid frequent shelling and cuts in power and water networks.
As temperatures are dropping below zero and snow has already fallen in Ukraine, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW is expanding its efforts to ensure pets can stay warm and fed during winter.
“The people and animals of Ukraine are now facing below-freezing temperatures and a lack of basic needs. We continue to be there for them – working together with local groups to provide critically, but lifesaving support,” says Céline Sissler-Bienvenu – IFAW Program Director, Disaster Response in Europe.
Together with Mykolaiv Red Cross IFAW provides food, beds, mattresses, and blankets to animals of families in need. Free home visits by veterinary specialists will also be organized, which will include consultation, examination, and basic treatment for pets.
“We are excited to partner with IFAW to be able to provide for the basic needs of pets during active armed hostilities in the Mykolaiv region,” says Andriy Skorokhod, Head of Mykolaiv Red Cross.
“We see this as an integral part of the psychosocial and health support that the Red Cross offers to people in Ukraine.”
To ensure animals across Ukraine continue to receive emergency relief, IFAW has also partnered with NOVA Ukraine a charity that operates all over the country to support animals in shelters and those with war-related injuries.
“With IFAW’s support we are able to provide urgent veterinary care for more animals that have suffered injuries from the war,” says Alena Rurik, Head of Animal Welfare at NOVA Ukraine.
“We will also distribute food and supply appropriate sheltering, such as thermal kennels and insulated dog and cat houses, and construct a basement to install kennels which will house and protect animals from the cold and the ongoing war.”
Nine months into the war in Ukraine, IFAW has directly helped 102,440 companion and wild animals by supporting over 80 grantees and partners to purchase and distribute food and pet supplies, provide veterinary care, and rescue and evacuate captive wildlife from zoos and sanctuaries.
