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Journalism of Courage
People in Ukraine have been leaving for safer shores ever since Russia started deploying its troops near its eastern border. However, for pet owners, fleeing to safety came with an added difficulty: how to shield their beloved pets from the destruction of the ongoing conflict.
There are many videos and photos of Ukrainians taking their pets with them as they shelter from air attacks in subway stations or make a difficult journey to cross the border.
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As Indian students in Ukraine were struggling to leave for India, Rishabh Kaushik, a computer engineering student who has been pursuing his course in Ukraine for three years, refused to leave without his rescue dog Malibu. In a Facebook post shared on February 26,2022, the SJA Alumni Association, Dehradun, shared their alumnus’s situation that explained how despite arranging required documents, Rishabh is not able to leave Ukraine with his dog.
Journalist Erin Burnett, who has been covering the conflict from the ground, shared a story of the owners of a cat cafe in Lviv who are staying put in the city as they feel a responsibility towards the 20 cats that they foster.
Nolan Peterson, a Ukraine based reporter, shared a photo of him and his cat from inside a bomb shelter. “In the bomb shelter with my cat. She’s been very brave,” he captioned the photo.
UAnimals, an animal rights advocacy group, has also been posting updates and requests for aid as they struggle to protect as many animals as possible.
There have been media reports that Poland, Romania and Slovakia are now allowing Ukrainians to bring their pets without essential veterinary paperwork.
These moves are widely welcomed by animal rights activists.
