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
Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
A heroic vet is risking his life to save hundreds of abandoned animals trapped in 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 travelled 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.”
(
Image:
Tom Maddick / SWNS)
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
He continued: “We are preparing the animals for an adoption process.
“We bought two cars and paid £12,500 for one.
“Sometimes the animals which are in very poor condition will be 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.
(
Image:
Tom Maddick / SWNS)
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 organisation’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.
(
Image:
Tom Maddick / SWNS)
“We came back about 2am or 3am 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.
(
Image:
Tom Maddick / SWNS)
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 centre 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, travelled out to Przemyśl two weeks ago to volunteer at the Ada Foundation, and has no plans to go back to Guildford.
(
Image:
Tom Maddick / SWNS)
The 55-year-old has raised £60,000 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.
“The animals have got PTSD.”
Do you have a dog story to sell? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
Read More
Read More
