On March 29th, UAnimals honored people who rescue animals, care for them, and advocate for humane treatment of all living beings. Volunteers from various regions of Ukraine, rescuers, scientists, and activists working to preserve wildlife received the Animal Protection Award.
“The Animal Protection Award is our way to provide informational support to people and organizations we support and whose values we share,” explained Olexandr Todorchuk, founder of UAnimals.
The annual Animal Protection Award ceremony was held for the second time. People nominated candidates on the UAnimals website. The winners were decided by a jury composed of representatives from Ukrainian and foreign animal protection organizations, as well as politicians.
The laureates of the Animal Protection Award 2024 are:
- Mariia Vronska – Head of the Hostomel Animal Shelter, founder of the AdoptMe Days animal adoption project, which rehomes animals from various shelters;
- Victoriia Kruchina – animal volunteer from Kupiansk, Kharkiv, who initiated the city’s first sterilization and vaccination program for stray animals;
- Viktor Shelvinsky – Ornithologist, founder of the Free Wings Bird Rehabilitation Center in Lviv Oblast, who treats injured and sick birds;
- Olena Kotova – animal volunteer from Oleksandriia in Kirovohrad Oblast, founder of the Zoodopomoha (AnimalHelp) rehabilitation and neutering center;
- Tetiana Kutsukon – Animal welfare advocate from Boryspil in Kyiv Oblast, founder of the Phoenix animal charitable foundation;
- Maryna Shazhko – Founder of the Bahmut Animal Protection Society LADA shelter, who evacuated the entire shelter to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast following the russian advance on Bahmut;
- Alisiia Polykha – Rescuer at Kyiv animal rescue group. She rescues animals in distress, and evacuates them from war hotspots in Ukraine;
- Ilona Dzhalahaniya – Volunteer from Sumy, co-founder and leader of the Sumy Animal Protection Society;
- Olesia Leonova – Volunteer from Dnipro who cares for cats;
- Roman Ostapchuk – Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman who rescues animals from dangerous areas and seeks shelter for them.
Honourable awards from UAnimals were given to:
- Mykhailo Rusin – Candidate of Biological Sciences, founder of the Hamster Rescue Center, developer of projects for the conservation of hamster colonies;
- the Free Svydovets initiative group, which fights to preserve the Svydovets region of the Carpathians from construction;
- the UAnimals direct aid department, including members of the evacuation team, stray animal sterilization teams, humanitarian mission teams, and shelter reconstruction programs.
UAnimals also honored those who sacrificed their lives in the rescue of animals: Emma Igual from Spain and Anthony Ignat from Canada, volunteers who evacuated animals from hotspots passed them to the UAnimals team, and French journalist Arman Soldin, who rescued a weakened hedgehog from a trench. Volunteers and the journalist died in Donetsk during shelling. Their friends and colleagues received special awards for them.
Finally, UAnimals awarded special recognition to partners: PUMB, UkrSibbank, and Room8Group.
The UAnimals team expresses gratitude to the partners Josera and The body shop.
More about the winners can be found in upcoming materials!
