Largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe: A battle for survival for Ukraine's animals.

In our previous update, we shared the nightmare of a dam's massive destruction in Russian-controlled Ukraine. This catastrophe has led to lethal floods, forcing humans to evacuate, leaving countless innocent animals behind. Our plea today is deeply urgent as lives hang in the balance.

Our determined team will be ready to rescue as many animals as possible amidst this horrific situation. The rescued ones will be relocated to temporary shelters, even as chaos persists and evacuations continue. Please help us rescue the animals now!

The destruction was unimaginable: a dam holding roughly 18 cubic kilometers of water in the Kakhovka Reservoir, comparable in size to Utah’s Great Salt Lake, gave way. The aftermath? Massive evacuations, a fear of far-reaching devastation, and a heart-wrenching loss of life.

In times of crisis, it is always the animals who are forgotten. We know the surviving animals are homeless, abandoned, hungry and terrified. The pictures and videos show a stark and distressing portrayal of the severity of the conditions faced by the animals, who desperately need our help right now!

Credit: Reuters/Vladyslav Musiienko

We PROMISED to help the animals of Ukraine until the war is over and today, we ask you to stand with us as animals battle one of their worst crises yet.

Flooding is estimated to continue for up to five days in the “largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.”

The aftermath of the dam collapse is estimated to unfold over the next five days, precipitating what Ukraine’s president calls the “largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.” The tragedy is unyielding - homes are washed away and panicked animals struggle to survive.

No-one knows how many animals survive - desperately hoping to be saved.

Please help our emergency rescue team to rush to the region and save the lives of as many stranded animals as possible!

Since the start of the war, our partner Vetmarket Pluriton has traveled into some of the most dangerous, devastated parts of Ukraine to feed and evacuate animals - three team members were even taken captive by Russian soldiers last year and held for months before being released. All because they were helping animals! But even that has not deterred us.

We are mobilizing a large, specially-modified waterproof vehicle to rush emergency aid and support to animals in Kherson, one of the worst affected areas, but many roads are flooded or blocked. With our help, Vetmarket will also use a boat as the most effective way to get around, even though there may be MINES in the water. The region, including its evacuation routes, are constantly being shelled by the Russians, who in some parts are not organizing any evacuation of people or animals… their fate remains unknown.

As authorities send buses to evacuate people to safety, our teams are once again risking their lives to help four-legged souls in distress and we need YOUR help to get them there as fast as possible, with sufficient supplies to feed, treat and evacuate animals.

Please! Water levels are rising, and we must RUSH to rescue stranded animals as fast as we possibly can.
Donate right now to our rescue efforts.

The flooding has affected at least 80 towns and villages along the Dnipro River region; neighboring animal shelters are overwhelmed with requests for help.

We MUST get our team to the animals right away! Please, donate as much as you possibly can right now so we can purchase fuel for our rescue vehicles and boat, pet food, and animal transportation crates, and RUSH life-saving aid to the animals. They are counting on YOU.

For the animals,

Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!)
Founder
Network for Animals

P.S. We MUST do everything we can to get our team to the animals and feed and evacuate stranded dogs and cats to safety. Please, donate as much as you possibly can now. The animals of Ukraine have never needed you more.

Banner credit: Aleksey Filippo/AFP