On May 18-19, volunteers from the UAnimals community, Mariia Holovina and Andrii Zhdanov, went on an evacuation mission to the village of Vorozhba in the Sumy region. They rescued seven animals, including goats and dogs. The owner, Nataliia, had evacuated to the Kyiv region with her six children, and the animals were taken there as well.
On May 25-26, Mariia and Andrii headed to the city of Druzhba, also in the Sumy region. They evacuated 29 cats and dogs to safer areas.
Prior to this, UAnimals was contacted by a journalist from Druzhba, Ivan Veretenyk. “Heavy shelling has begun in our area. People are starting to leave, abandoning the animals. I feel very sorry for the animals, so I ask for their evacuation from the city,” he wrote.
Volunteers Andrii and Mariia, along with Ivan himself, agreed to go to Druzhba. Abandoned animals were being fed by neighbors or animal volunteers. “I want to highlight their humanity,” said Mariia. “For instance, Ms. Oleksandra would come to feed the dogs—not her own, but those left behind by others. She said she couldn’t leave until they were taken care of. It’s just heartwarming.”
The volunteers evacuated seven dogs, 16 adult cats, and six kittens from the border town. The animals were taken in by the Sumy Animal Protection Society, the “DIMPETS” shelter in Sumy, and the “ShchasSpasu” shelter in Kyiv. Two of the dogs were taken into temporary care in Kyiv, with hopes of reuniting them with their owners.
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