A joint aid delivery from the German Animal Welfare Federation and the German Animal Rescue Association (GDT) arrived at the Animal Welfare Federation's animal welfare center in Odessa, Ukraine, on Sunday (12 February). In addition to ten pallets of food, the delivery also included an electricity generator, which was urgently needed. The aid mission is possible thanks to donations from animal-loving people and a donation from Mars Petcare.
“Electricity is an absolute priority at the Odessa Animal Welfare Center right now. Various devices and the clinic rooms can now finally be operated again and important operations can be carried out again without interruption,” says Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. “We would like to thank everyone who was involved in bringing the power unit safely to the animal welfare center in Odessa. The staff at our center had continued to do everything in their power for their charges, but the frequent lack of electricity had severely limited their options. The arrival of the generator was eagerly awaited.”
OPERATIONS BY THE LIGHT OF FLASHLIGHTS
Russia's military attacks against Ukraine are currently targeting Ukrainian infrastructure in particular. Since the end of last year, several power stations and substations around Odessa have also been hit, resulting in ongoing power cuts and internet outages. Although the animal welfare center of the German Animal Welfare Federation has its own generator, it dates back to the 1970s and is no longer fully functional. Refrigerators, which are essential for cooling medicines, were prioritized for supply, meaning that washing machines, heaters and even PCs could not be operated. Staff sit by candlelight in the evenings and were spontaneously dependent on the light of flashlights during operations. Despite all the adversity, the team continues its work for the animals. In 2022, a year almost entirely dominated by war, over 1,200 animals were taken in and cared for and almost 1,000 animals were neutered.
ARDUOUS TRANSPORT THROUGH THE WAR ZONE
The successful arrival of the unit is not a matter of course. Logistical journeys through the Ukraine are now very difficult, and transporting a power generator weighing around 600 kg is a particular challenge. The delivery was made possible above all by the experience and networking of Frank Lauer, Head of Animal Rescue Untermain and member of the Federal Association of German Animal Rescue Services. Since the start of the war around a year ago, the animal rescuer has already traveled to Ukraine several times with donated relief supplies, also on behalf of the German Animal Welfare Federation, to help animal owners and street animals and to support Ukrainian animal welfare activists. Last November, Lauer was awarded the German Animal Welfare Prize for his courageous efforts.
Note to editors: The German Animal Welfare Federation provides information about its help for animals in need in Ukraine on its website. The federation also launched an appeal for donations last year.
