A new massive aid project has been launched to feed animals at hundreds of shelters across Ukraine, with the organisation having already fed over 100,000 dogs and cats.
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Vienna branch of the Four Paws animal rights organisation, which said that it was partnering up with Animal ID and Dogs Trust Worldwide to launch the aid project, called UPAW (Ukrainian Pet Association Worldwide).
It said that it will soon be accepting donations to purchase dog food and cat food, pledging to distribute it “fairly to hundreds of animal shelters in war-torn Ukraine”.
It said that it is in the final stages of putting the website together, which will serve as a platform for animal shelters to register and share their most urgent needs with the organisation, especially food for the animals.
Four Paws also said that special warehouses are being set up to distribute the food for the animals all over Ukraine.
It said that even before completing the website, it had managed to distribute “over 176 tons of pet food to just over 100 animal shelters in Kyiv, Kharkiv and many other cities”.
It added: “This corresponds to the care of over 100,000 dogs and cats.”
It also said: “Some of the larger Ukrainian animal shelters that have an online presence have been able to get help in the form of cash and in-kind donations via social media. However, this has not been the case for the majority of public and small shelters. This is where UPAW wants to help those most in need.”
Manuela Rowlings, Head of FOUR PAWS Stray Animal Aid (SAC), said: “Together with Dogs Trust Worldwide we are helping our Ukrainian partner Animal ID to finance the website and the logistical platform UPAW. Once the website is up and running, we will be able to offer any registered and verified animal shelter or animal welfare volunteer to request pet food and other supplies.
“In addition, pet food suppliers can also provide in-kind donations for onward distribution to animal shelters in Ukraine. This transparent system helps ensure that relief supplies are collected centrally and distributed fairly and evenly to those in need across the country.”
Four Paws is a global animal welfare organisation that is based in the Austrian capital Vienna. It said that it has had a presence in Ukraine since 2013, adding: “The local FOUR PAWS SAC team has been active in Ukraine since 2013 and has so far treated almost 30,000 stray animals in over 60 communities.
“The team in Ukraine typically operates a mobile clinic that carries out capture castration, vaccination and repatriation projects in various communities across the country. Due to fighting and roadblocks, it is too dangerous to carry out these activities on the street in these difficult times.
“The health and safety of our co-workers in Ukraine is of the utmost importance to FOUR PAWS. FOUR PAWS has therefore reduced SAC activities to a minimum for the time being. The SAC team will continue the important work of treating, neutering and vaccinating stray cats in Ukraine as soon as it is safe to do so again.”
The United Nations’ International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to cease all its military operations in Ukraine immediately.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: William McGee, Agency: Newsflash
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