UPDATE 7 – August 10th, 2023:

Dear Pro Animale friends,

UPDATE 6 – July 10th, 2023:

Dear Pro Animale friends,

On June the 17th at 7.00am, Lukasz and Peter were on site at the quarantine station in Poland to attend the arrival of 79 very distressed flood victims (58 dogs and 21 cats) from Oleshky. On the same day, they returned with 53 dogs from the first evacuation and brought them to Copernika.

Angelina has also arrived safely in Poland and is living with her daughter in Warsaw now. Of course, it was her dearest wish to be with her animals as soon as possible and so she visited them in the Polish quarantine.

Currently, we still have 149 dogs and 21 cats in quarantine in Poland. The health condition of the cats was critical, they are under intensive veterinary treatment.

Lukasz had prepared all the necessary arrangements for taking in so many dogs: See for yourself how happy our new arrivals are at Lukasz’ in Copernika, just two days after their arrival. As if a heavy burden had been lifted from them, some are resting in the runs to finally let all the tension fall off them.

Many are already following Lukasz as their devoted friend, some dogs are still distraught and fearful – but what better place for their recovery than Copernika!

We are extremely grateful that Docma TV with Jochen Bendel is honouring our commitment in Ukraine with a report.

Save the date: Thursday, July the 13th 2023, two shows will be aired on Sat.1 Gold.

At 8:15 p.m. “Soko Welpenhandel” (with Lukasz) will run
and at 09:15 p.m. “Haustier sucht Herz” (dogs from the war zone).

Both programmes run 4 times, always on Thursdays, last broadcast date is August the 3rd 2023.

We are now looking for sensitive and extremely responsible private final homes for all those dog who, in our opinion, are in a stable condition after quarantine and veterinary care.

Please understand that we can currently only provide information about the dogs that are already in “Copernika”, our “Fellosophie” and our “Rendez-vous with animals”. The quarantine site is approximately 5 hours away from Lukasz’ and as soon as he is able and the capacities in our facilities allow it, he will always bring more animals from quarantine to him.

UPDATE 5 – June 16th, 2023:

The only important things in life are the traces of love we leave behind when we leave. Albert Schweitzer

Dear Pro Animale friends,

The life-threatening days of deep despair, hopelessness, relentless vulnerability and the unconditional struggle for life are now behind Angelina, her comrades-in-arms and her animals.
The Russian and Ukrainian animal rights activists around Angelina manage to organise boats, transport, cages and vehicles.

The evacuation under unimaginably hostile conditions begins. Here is an excerpt from a post by Vassilisa:

“14 June. The evacuation in Oleshky is over. For 4 days the most difficult rescue operation took place. As a result of the coordinated work of our team and the support of local residents, more than 100 dogs, 80 cats, one rabbit, one hamster and also several people were evacuated.
One dog gave birth to 8 puppies during the evacuation.
We have done a great job, but there is no strength and no reason for joy. All that is happening there is hell, great sadness and irreparable losses. Several people and animals are still surrounded by water – hard to reach, hard to rescue.”

Our extraordinary respect and appreciation goes to Angelina and this courageous team who gave their all while risking their own lives in the most hostile conditions imaginable.

Today, 15 June 2023, Angelina, her fellow campaigners and their dogs and cats are on their way:

58 dogs and 21 cats will go into our complete care and responsibility, and another 58 dogs and 40 cats into the care of Russian animal welfare workers.

Dear Pro Animale friends, please continue to stand by us. With your support, you enable us to bear the enormous future financial responsibility for 209 dogs and 21 cats that we were able to rescue from the war zone around Kherson in the last few weeks.

For the 58 dogs and 21 cats that are now on their way to the quarantine station, we have not yet received the financial support to cover their transportation.

Ticket to Freedom – additionally, we must cover the high costs of boarding the dogs and cats, as well as for the costly veterinary care (click on the respective link to donate via PayPal).

Lukasz and Peter will pick up the 58 dogs from the first rescue from the quarantine station at the weekend and bring them to our dog sanctuary Copernika.

As soon as we are able, we will send you pictures of the arrival and all other updated information!

We thank you for your solidarity and your great support – please help!

UPDATE 4 – June 11th, 2023:

Dear friends of Pro Animale,

Words cannot describe the unimaginable extent of horror and horrific suffering that has befallen Angelina and her charges, humans and animals in Oleshky /Oblast Kherson.

Here is an excerpt from the post on Angelina’s page:

“The scariest horror movie has become reality. Angelina almost drowned twice in Oleshky and continues to fight for her life and the lives of the animals. There is no past, no future, only desperation and her courage.

This video was made by Angelina. She was sitting in this car when she took the animals out, the water level rose sharply and the car drowned. She barely managed to get out with the porters. Fear, terror, panic.

The water level rose immediately, many houses have only roofs. The next day we managed to find a boat on which Angelina transported the rescued dogs to dry areas. The dogs swam to the boat to save themselves and the boat just couldn’t handle the weight and sank. And Angelina is in the middle. She can’t swim at all and has a lifelong panic, fear of water, but the desire to save animals turned out to be much stronger than her fears. She was in danger of drowning and was saved by a miracle and a nearby pillar.

Life is destroyed and divided into before and after, it has nothing left…. Now there is only water, wet clothes, rescued dogs and only the desperate desire to save animals.

The number of surviving animals will not be known until the evacuation from Oleshky, if it is possible.

Since so many people do not understand the real situation, we remind you that Oleshky is on the LEFT SIDE of Dnipro, it is not Kherson! They are on the other side!”

Angelina is in a state of physical and psychological emergency. We are in contact with her and the animal rights activists in her immediate environment.

The snippets of information we receive reflect the highly precarious and unassessable disastrous situation.

Ukrainian as well as Russian animal welfare activists are unceasingly standing by Angelina in a unique way.

Please understand that we cannot publish certain information at the moment, we will inform you in due course!

As you have surely learned from the media, humans and animals are additionally under fire during the heavily hampered evacuation!

A more hostile scenario to life is unimaginable, and then this woman appears, who, at the risk of her life, throws the counter-project to all this utter negation and rejection of life, her unconditional fight for the survival of the animals.

The rescue of Angelina’s dogs from the heavily contested war zone of Kherson Oblast continues.

Yesterday, 05 June 2023, the third transport with 41 dogs reached the safe haven of the quarantine center. With your help, we have managed to evacuate 148 dogs to date and save their lives from this war!

See a video of the arrival of the second transport at the quarantine center on Whit Monday. (The transport of these dogs was thankfully financed by donations through our friend Judith Pein, Die Tierschutzdetektivin e.V.. Quarantine, veterinary care and their future daily care are financed by Pro Animale für Tiere in Not eV.)

June 5th, 2023
Meanwhile, Angelina’s life is still in danger in her almost completely destroyed shelter which still has about 130 dogs and 17 cats.
In the short phone calls we are able to have with her, her desperate fear and crying for the survival of her animals tug at our heartstrings.

We have given Angelina and her animals our unreserved yes to our support, yes to unconditional help!
We firmly believe – also trusting in your solidarity, dear friends of Pro Animale – that we will succeed in redeeming this YES and saving even the last animal along with Angelina herself!

The window of opportunity is closing!

June 6th, 2023
Yesterday we had set the short-term dates for the last three evacuations – today our plans were destroyed: 

Disaster of unimaginable proportions has befallen Angelina and her dogs: The Russian military blew up the Kakhovka dam near Kherson early this morning. The water level is rising. Everything threatens to fall victim to the water masses. People are being evacuated from the affected area.
Russian and Belarusian animal rights activists, drivers risk their lives to evacuate Angelina and her dogs. The situation is like an inferno.

We reach Angelina at 10:31 am: evacuation is not possible at the moment because the area is under heavy fire – she is retreating with her animals into the ruins of the building. We sincerely hope to be able to save this heroine together with her animals, this courageous woman who is putting her own life on the line for her dogs against the flood and blazes!
Update 15:30: A transport should be possible tomorrow!

We will do everything in our power!

We will keep you posted frequently on events as they occur.

The costs and responsibility for rescuing the animals and providing them with full care in the future are immense. And yet our YES to unconditional help and saving lives is unequivocal and without alternative. Let us stand up together for those fellow creatures who are without protection!

Stay by our side!

Our donation account:
Sparkasse Coburg Lichtenfels
IBAN: DE 33 7835 0000 0000 202010 | BIC: BYLADEM 1 COB

UPDATE 2:

Dear friends of Pro Animale,

The crisis of the acute life-threatening situation around Angelina and her dogs is intensifying and coming to a head! The dogs are suffering from mortal fear and permanent stress!!

What do do?

Together with you, dear  friends of Pro Animale, we must act courageously and unreservedly.

The situation is highly dramatic. Hesitation is not an option.

Our friend, the journalist and animal rights activist Judith Pein, has been organising the evacuation of the dogs from Angelina’s shelter with us from the very beginning. Thanks to Judith’s appeal, we can finance the transport costs for another evacuation of 51 dogs!

However, with each passing day and the worsening situation at the front, it becomes more and more difficult for Angelina to find brave men who will take on this highly dangerous transport of the animals. The route becomes increasingly inaccessible and is flanked by heavily armed Russian military. We are all the happier that she has succeeded once again:

On Friday, 26 May 2023, courageous drivers set out on the life-threatening journey with another 51 dogs, and today on Whit Sunday the news reaches us that they have arrived safely in Belarus. Tomorrow, Whit Monday, we will be able to receive them in the quarantine station!

Our extraordinary appreciation and special thanks go to the courageous drivers who risked their own lives to transport the dogs!

Dear Pro Animale friends please stay by our side to enable us to take on this great responsibility.
Rescue alone is not enough – the dogs of Kherson need your help – today and also tomorrow!

Please help us to cover the considerable costs for quarantine and basic and emergency veterinary care!
Please click here to donate for the quarantine costs (180,-€ per month and dog)
Please click here to donate for veterinary care (50,-€ per dog) to donate

Sparkasse Coburg Lichtenfels
IBAN: DE 33 7835 0000 0000 202010 | BIC: BYLADEM 1 COB

Furthermore, we are urgently looking for responsible and loving final homes for the dog refugees after quarantine!

What is the sensation of a good deed?
It is the immeasurable effectiveness inherent in it which goes beyond this single good deed, reaches out and is able to produce abounding happiness – for the one who gives and the one who receives!

In this sense, dear Pro Animale friends, you have our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the dogs of Kherson!

We do not know how Angelina, this courageous woman, will be able to cope with this psychologically exceptional situation. We can only hope to be able to save her together with her last remaining dogs. Angelina managed to place some of her dogs with Russian animal welfare organisations, and she was able to send severely injured dogs to a veterinary clinic in Moscow.

UPDATE 1:

Dear friends of Pro Animale,

Your solidarity in helping Angelina’s dogs from Kherson/Ukraine was overwhelming:

For all 56 (+1) dogs we have been able to cover the travel costs “ticket to freedom”, the boarding costs for the indispensable quarantine, as well as the expenses for basic veterinary care to cover our costs!

Thank you so much for you help and generosity. It enables us to save so many innocent animal lives from extreme distress!

Thanks to your great solidarity and immediate help, the extremely difficult and life-threatening transport of 57 dogs from Kherson can take place.

And so we can already tell you today, overjoyed and relieved, that all 57 dog refugees have arrived safely at the Polish quarantine center to undergo the veterinary care programme there.

“Everyone who fights for good is fighting an ultimately hopeless battle. But: for those animals and for those people we can help, this help can mean the difference between life and death, between happiness and disaster” (Helmut F. Kaplan)

Dear friends of Pro Animale,

We received a dramatic cry for help from a Ukrainian animal rights activist, Angelina:

Angelina is currently holding out with her 300 dogs and 80 cats in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast. The Russian military is stationed right outside the gates of her shelter, and Ukrainian soldiers are stationed on the other side of the Dnipro. The area is under constant rocket and mortar fire. One rocket has already hit the shelter, killing 16 dogs instantly. The Ukrainian counteroffensive is imminent and Angelina and her animals are directly between these fronts.

Angelina will not flee until the last of her animals is rescued and brought to safety. Either they all escape or they all die together, according to Angelina. This brave woman pleaded with us to take in as many animals as possible. She is allowed only two hours per day (!) to take care of her 300 dogs and 80 cats under the eyes of the Russian soldiers.

One can only imagine how incredibly dramatic, disastrous and desperate the situation must be for Angelina and her dogs in such a life-threatening situation. How terribly frightened the dogs must be. Angelina’s burden and concern for her animals can only be unbearable.