How we help ownerless dogs and cats in UkraineThis is the Animal Welfare Center Odessa
The German Animal Welfare Federation has been fighting for a better life for stray animals in Odessa, Ukraine, since 2000. It has set up a pioneering project there to help stray dogs and cats. Our federation has been running the Animal Welfare Center Odessa there since 2005.
Our facility in Odessa
Stray animals used to be "disposed of" in the kill shelter
Before the German Animal Welfare Federation began working in Odessa in Ukraine in 2000, there were an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 stray dogs and thousands of cats living on the streets. The animals were reproducing uncontrollably. At that time, animal welfare did not play a role in Odessa. Instead, it was common practice for years to capture free-roaming dogs, cram them into a so-called kill shelter and then actually kill them by the thousands. This was not only cruel and is still common practice in many other countries. This method did not eliminate the problem either. Because where stray animals were removed, new ones followed. Our goal was and is to improve the lives of these free-roaming, ownerless animals.
How we help ownerless animals in Odessa
The German Animal Welfare Federation provides "help for self-help" in Odessa. The animal welfare center offers the premises, equipment and know-how for a new andanimal welfare-friendly population management based on the "catch, neuter, release" strategy.1
- Catch: In cooperation with the city and its residents, ownerless dogs and cats are caught and brought to our animal welfare center.
- Neutering: Our team gives the stray animals a veterinary examination and treat them if necessary, vaccinate them and treat them against parasites. The animals are also neutered. In this way, we prevent the animals from reproducing in the long term and ensure that they remain as healthy as possible.
- Release: After our employees have lovingly cared for the stray dogs and cats, they have been able to recover and are healthy again, we release them into their familiar territories. This prevents new animals from constantly moving in. This is because a territory only offers enough food and shelter for a certain number of animals at any one time.
In figures
injured & sick dogs and cats were treated at the center in 2023.
square meters is the area on which dogs and cats are treated in a modern veterinary clinic.
Dogs used to be gassed every year in Odessa, before the animal rights activists came along. Instead, they are now neutered - even during the war. In 2023, over 1300 dogs were neutered.
kilograms is the weight of the emergency power generator that protects the animal welfare center against power outages in times of war.
What we have achieved for animal welfare in Odessa
The Animal Welfare Center Odessa has been able to help tens of thousands of animals in recent years. Through the principle of "catch, neuter, release", we have been able to stop the senseless cycle of reproduction and killing in the Ukrainian port city. The number of free-roaming dogs has now stabilized at around 3,000 to 4,000. Together with the city authorities, the German Animal Welfare Federation has reorganized the animal control service by training new trappers and improving animal welfare on the streets through humane catching methods. We have been able to expand medical care with new X-ray and anesthesia equipment. Animal welfare activists, veterinarians and representatives of the authorities from all over Europe2 have visited the animal welfare center, which also serves as a model example and educates the public.
As the number of free-roaming dogs in the city center was virtually under control, we shifted the focus of our work to the surrounding communities and to helping ownerless cats. These are not only neutered, but also fed at many feeding stations in the city. Due to the war, the animals in Odessa are more dependent than ever on our human care. Support our Animal Welfare Center in Odessa with a donation!
Animal welfare continues during the war
Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, nothing has been the same at the German Animal Welfare Federation's Animal Welfare Center Odessa. The German Animal Welfare Federation has evacuated the animals that are sick or injured and in need of human help due to the critical situation near the military airport. The association has also helped some employees to flee to Germany. A nineteen-strong team is determined to continue helping the stray animals despite their own worries. Thanks to their courageous efforts, over 1,500 animals were cared for and almost 1,300 neutered in 2023 despite the dangerous and stressful situation, power cuts, supply bottlenecks and temporary closures. Find out more about our animal welfare work in Ukraine during the war.
At night we hear rockets, during the day we hear children playing in the park, and are greeted at the center by our protégés wagging their tails. But this simultaneity, this everyday life alongside the war, gives us hope and helps us to carry on.
Sources and further information
1 You can read more about the "catch, neuter, release" strategy in our guide to reducing the population of stray dogs and cats (available in German only)
More information on possible approaches to solving the stray dog problem (available in German only)
2New Policy Guidance on Responsible Population Management of Cats and Dogs launched at the European Parliament. | Intergroup (animalwelfareintergroup.eu)