A VOLUNTEER who rescues dogs from Romania and brings them to the UK for adoption has turned his attention to saving animals from the Ukraine conflict.
David Wise, from Peacehaven and a team of volunteers, manage the not-for-profit rescue service Paws and Whiskers Sussex.
The 46-year-old said he felt “helpless” watching the shocking events unfolding in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
He hired a van filled with humanitarian aid and pet supplies and left his home on March 8 to begin the 1,500-mile journey to the town of Siret on the Romania-Ukraine border.
After dropping off humanitarian aid, David visited animal and cat rescue shelters across Romania that have been helping to house and care for animals displaced by the conflict.
He said: “One of the rescuers who we work with in Bucharest has taken in more than 60 Ukrainian cats.
“After leaving the border, another rescuer we worked with had found out that there was a van there with 30 dogs in that needed to be transported to the border.
“The dogs were taken to a Romanian shelter, and we found out from the driver that the shelter they had come from, which was 10km away from Kyiv, had been bombed soon after the dogs had been taken out.”
At the border, David said he was struck by just how frightened some of the people were once they arrived at the border.
He said: “There was an old lady walking towards the border with two cat carries and the dog. She was quite old and really struggling.
“She disappeared into one of the volunteer organisations’ tents and we the rescuer I was with went over to see if we could offer her a lift anywhere, or help with anything, she was hiding because she was worried about human traffickers.
“She was so scared she wouldn’t come out. It was really, really sad.”
David returned from Romania on Thursday, alongside a Romanian stray called Moni and a Ukrainian dog called lyoka, who he helped to reunite with her owner in the UK after she fled from Kyiv.
He is hoping to return to the border with more supplies and to continue supporting rescue charities working in the area.
To support or donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ukraineaidrun
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