From Yucatan Times:
“Heroic Polish veterinarian
saves 260 dogs and cats from warzones in Ukraine”
Brave Polish vet, Jakub Kotowicz,
32, is crossing dangerous Ukraine borders to rescue hundreds of abandoned
animals trapped in conflict and says he hasn’t slept for five days. A heroic
vet is risking his life to save hundreds of abandoned animals trapped in the
Ukraine conflict. Brave Jakub Kotowicz, 32, has rescued 200 cats and 60 dogs
from Lviv in three convoys – including a dog with a bullet lodged in her spine
and a pygmy goat with diseased legs. Last week, he traveled into the warzone
from Przemyśl, on the Polish border, and returned after not sleeping for five
days. Jakub said: “All the cats are very stressed, the journey from Lviv is one
day and we crossed the border with a diplomatic pass but the queue from Ukraine
was very long.”
(Rescued dogs are traumatized
from the warzone)
He continued: “We are preparing
the animals for an adoption process. “We bought two cars and paid about 15,000
US dollars for one. “Sometimes the animals which are in very poor condition
have to stay with us for two or three months.” The route is extremely dangerous
and many of the strays have been so badly injured in conflict, they have to be
put down. Many of the strays will be rehomed across Europe, and a couple of
cats have already been reunited with their Ukrainian owners.
(Jakub is keeping a tiny goat
named Sasha to himself)
Jakub founded animal rescue
charity, the ADA Foundation, at 17 years old and runs the non-profit solely on
donations. He plans to keep a two-month-old pygmy goat, named Sasha, who was
rescued from Lviv, as the organization’s pet. “Sasha came to us from the first
convoy to Lviv, an old woman asked us to have her. She has diseased legs,”
Jakub explained. Jakub set off from Poland for his third trip last week and
said: “There were three cars and eight people in this one.
(Many of the animals cannot be
saved)
“We came back about on Tuesday
and had to check all the animals in four to six hours, then go to sleep for two
hours. “The next convoy might be next week because it is very dangerous.” The
charity has ambitious plans to buy another ambulance and covert a pizza shop
into a place for rescued animals to be kept, as well as packing a warehouse
with supplies.
(The Ada Foundation has plans to
expand and help more pets)
It has an innovative facility for
rehoming puppies, a ‘dog village’, where canines can get used to furniture such
as sofas and tables while being monitored by prospective owners. Volunteers
have given their time from as far away as Denmark, Canada, and America. Staff
at the center are currently getting a wheelchair for a dog named Vira, aged
seven, who has a bullet lodged in her spine. Nick Tadd, a wildlife
photographer, traveled out to Przemyśl two weeks ago to volunteer at the Ada
Foundation and has no plans to go back to Guildford.
(Hundreds of cats need to find
new homes)
The 55-year-old has raised 79,000
USD so far to help with the charity’s animal rescue missions and says: “I’m
just a helping hand really. “I don’t fear it, it isn’t sort of bravado. If we
raise enough funds we’re going to buy another ambulance. “We are asking people
in the UK to adopt Polish pets so they can make room for Ukrainian animals. “These
poor animals have got PTSD.”
^ Jakub Kotowicz and the ADA are
doing amazing and difficult work. They are doing what so many around Poland,
around Europe and around the world are doing – doing what they can to help
Ukrainians (Men, Women, Children and Animals. ^
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