Animals Say 'We are lives too, we too have Right to Live.
The Russia-Ukraine war has triggered a new crisis, with many people seeking to get shelter, others are rushing to fly away from the country. The crisis has not only targeted human lives but it become a huge issue for animals too. Pet Animals Say 'We are lives too; we too have Right to Live.' The responsibility has suddenly occurred on numerous pet owners as they are facing difficulty to escape with their pets. Due to strict regulations, people are facing issues as their pets are part of their family too, they cannot leave them behind.
Numerous pet owners continue to hide their pets in their arms as stated ' no matter what happens, can't leave them behind.' Rishabh Kaushik is an Indian student pet parent who refused to return to India without having his Maliboo, a dog.
A software engineering student of the third year at the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics, Rishabh was stuck in such a crisis in Kyiv. He was not able to obtain a NOC certificate from the Indian government to bring his dog back to India along. "I had a visa for Dubai for a long time before the bombing." The only reason I wasn't able to attend was that the Indian government was uncooperative. Even in a warlike scenario, they are requesting paperwork to transport Maliboo to India. I gave them all the paperwork I had, but they continued requesting more, making things tough. The only reason I'm still in Ukraine is that India failed to provide me with the NOC on time. "I would have been in India on February 20 if I had received it on time," he explained.
Rishabh, who recently crossed the Ukraine-Hungary border with his dog and will fly back to India, was residing in Kyiv with an Indian family, along with ten other Indian students. "The situation is dire here. "There is a water and food crisis, and there are long lines of people looking for essentials," he explained.
Despite the deterioration of his condition, leaving his pet alone was out of the question. "I could have left him here a long time ago if I had wanted to." "I can't leave him like this and will look after him no matter what," he stated.
People unable to evacuate the nation are finding refuge in bomb shelters, metros, and subways. Many individuals, however, stayed with their dogs, as countless photographs of people sheltering with their pets circulated on social media, teaching the world about compassion and humanity.
Tanuja Patel, a final-year MBBS student in Poltava, is in the same boat. She made it to Romania with her pet dog, but she refuses to board the trip to India until her pet is also allowed. "I will only board the airplane if my pet is allowed to accompany me." Otherwise, I'll stay here for the time being," Tanuja explained.
While many folks hesitated to give up their four-legged companions, many were compelled to surrender them to shelters before moving out, according to Kaushik. Native Ukrainians are also confronted with the difficulty of leaving their dogs behind when they seek refuge in neighboring nations.
As a result, hundreds of domestic animals are abandoned on Ukraine's streets, and rescue groups are overcrowded with insufficient food supplies. As a result, various animal welfare organizations are working around the clock to supply them with food and shelter.
David Barritt is the director of Network for Animals, an international animal welfare organization that advocates for animals all over the world said, "It's a horrible tragedy for the animals, especially the cats and dogs because the people had to evacuate quite abruptly." Most people were not permitted to bring their pets with them. As a result, they were forced to abandon these helpless creatures on the streets. These animals, who are not accustomed to fending for themselves, are suddenly victims of explosives and gunfire on the streets. They are destitute and helpless. If we don't pay attention to them, they have very little chance of survival.
He added, “Finding dog food in a nation like Ukraine, where infrastructure is crumbling, is one of the most difficult difficulties. Many factories have shut down because men have gone to war or fled the country. We were able to locate dog food supplies in a pretty secure area of the nation. My crew is attempting to smuggle dog food into Ukraine across the Polish border. The issue there is getting our staff out of Ukraine since there are long lines of refugees and worried individuals."
PETA
In response to an appeal from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, issued an office memorandum stating, "Given the unique and extraordinary circumstances in war-torn Ukraine, where pre-export requisite formalities for the export of pets into India may not be met, the import of pet dogs and/or pet cats, as well as stranded Indians being rescued by the Government of India, is being facilitated as a one-time relaxation measure."
As the clamor for more lenient pet admission standards got louder, numerous neighboring nations permitted individuals crossing the border with their pets to enter without tight limits and qualifications. As a "one-time relaxation measure," India has also relaxed the requirements for pets arriving from Ukraine.
