The heroic veterinarian risks his life to save hundreds of abandoned animals trapped in the conflict in Ukraine. The brave Yakub Kotovych managed to save 200 cats and 60 dogs from Lviv, including a dog with a bullet stuck in his spine and a goat with broken legs.
Last week, after five sleepless nights, the man managed to pull the animals out of the fighting zone in the Przemyśl area, near the Polish border, and return them to the battlefield.
“All the cats are very tense, the journey from Lviv is one day, and we crossed the border with a diplomatic pass, but the wait on the Ukrainian side was very long. We bought two cars, paying for one almost 20 thousand euros. Sometimes animals affected by the war , are in a very serious condition, – the 32-year-old hero speaks.
The evacuation route was extremely dangerous, and many stray animals found themselves in such a desperate situation that they had to fall asleep.
Many of the stray animals that survived will be repatriated and adopted across Europe, and several cats have already reunited with their Ukrainian owners.
Jakub founded his animal welfare charity, the ADA Foundation, at the age of 17 and runs it solely on donations.
Currently, the staff of the center is considering options for a wheelchair, already made for a dog named Vera. She is seven years old, but she was severely wounded on the battlefield, and a bullet stuck in her spine.