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Animals in the war zone in Ukraine
Pets, livestock and zoo animals remain near the front line, and organisations have been evacuating and feeding them since 2022.
Open on the interactive globeUAnimals reports it has rescued 11,139 animals since the full-scale invasion began, including 7,210 evacuated, mainly from Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. In July and August 2026 it helped more than 17,000 animals through evacuation, sterilisation and humanitarian aid, and temporarily paused new evacuation requests due to high demand. Since 2022 FOUR PAWS has delivered more than 176 tonnes of pet food to over 100 shelters and cares for 36 bears at the Domazhyr sanctuary.
Numbers with sources
| Value | As of | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animals affected | 11,139 | September 2026 | uanimals.org |
Species
| Species | IUCN status | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canis familiaris Canis familiaris | uanimals.org | ||
| Felis catus Felis catus | uanimals.org | ||
| Ursus arctos Ursus arctos | least concern (IUCN LC) | fourpawsusa.org |
Needs
- animal rescue
- veterinary care
- logistics
Who is helping
Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (6). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.
- FOUR PAWS (FOUR PAWS)FOUR PAWS rescues animals in need, runs sanctuaries and provides rapid disaster response. In Ukraine it has run the Domazhyr bear sanctuary near Lviv since 2016.Donate on the organisation's website (four-paws.org)
- Humane World for Animals (HWA)Humane World for Animals, formerly Humane Society International and the HSUS, works to protect companion, farm and wild animals. With the Ukrainian Red Cross it…Donate on the organisation's website (humaneworld.org)
- International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)IFAW rescues, rehabilitates and protects animals and their habitats worldwide. Since the war began it has supported Ukrainian shelters, and in Australia it rescues…Donate on the organisation's website (give.ifaw.org)
- UAnimals (UAnimals)UAnimals is a Ukrainian animal rights movement founded in 2016 that since 2022 has evacuated animals from frontline areas and delivered humanitarian aid to shelters. It…Donate on the organisation's website (uanimals.org)
- Viva! Foundation (Viva!)The Viva! Foundation runs animal rescue interventions, adoptions and animal rights campaigns in Poland. Since 2012 it has run a shelter in Korabiewice, and since the war…Donate on the organisation's website (viva.org.pl)
- World Animal Protection (WAP)World Animal Protection works to end the suffering of wild and farmed animals and helps them in disasters. During the war in Ukraine it evacuated bears and wolves to…Donate on the organisation's website (worldanimalprotection.org)
Latest reports
- Green flood alert in Ukraine GDACS (UE i ONZ), 26 September 2026
Sources
- uanimals.org uanimals.org/en/evacuation/
- fourpawsusa.org fourpawsusa.org/campaigns-topics/topics/support-ukraine
- bearsanctuary-domazhyr.org bearsanctuary-domazhyr.org/ukraine-war-situation-and-support-for-animals-1
- pravda.com.ua pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/04/06/8028981/
Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections
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