When millions of people were forced to flee their homes due to the invasion of Ukraine, they were unable to take their companion animals with them. An estimated one million dogs and cats were left homeless and living on the streets. Dan Fine heard about this from a Ukrainian friend in Vancouver, and he was moved to help. He teamed up with volunteers and animal charities to organise missions to vaccinate and sterilise these stray pets, with two important aims. To prevent more dogs and cats being born, and to prevent the spread of rabies from wild animals to these strays and then to humans.  It sounds like the plot of an action film but this is a race that’s happening in real time. Dan came on the podcast to talk about their documentary, War Tails; which explains the problem, but also the solution. www.wartails.org War Tails trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_-rNAq0oF0&t=6s www.uwarf.com  Some Ukraine footage from K9 Rescue International: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpPZI0bY6cI Featured music: https://wartails.bandcamp.com/album/war-tails-original-soundtrack Please consider writing to the European Union about this rapidly developing problem. https://european-union.europa.eu/contact-eu/write-us_en Here is a template message written by Dan Fine. To help the animals of Ukraine, would you please consider sending something like below to DR ANDREA GAVINELLi - [email protected]? I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to draw your attention to a pressing animal welfare crisis in Ukraine that has arisen as a result of the ongoing conflict in the region. The Russian invasion has not only displaced millions of people but also forced over one million pets into homelessness. This situation is documented in the dog population growth chart available https://lnkd.in/gx6NWwfa. Alarmingly, around 90% of these animals are currently unsterilized, leading to significant public health concerns, including the rapid spread of diseases such as rabies.Local veterinarians in Ukraine are ready and willing to address this issue; however, they are in dire need of resources to carry out mass sterilization and vaccination programs. This is a humanitarian and animal welfare issue of immense scale and urgency.The European Union has always been a global leader in animal welfare, and your leadership in the Animal Welfare Unit has been exemplary. As Ukraine looks towards the possibility of future EU membership, addressing this crisis promptly and humanely would not only alleviate current suffering but also align with the EU's high standards for animal welfare. Failure to act now could result in the necessity of a massive culling in the future, which would be both tragic and contrary to the principles we uphold.We urge you to consider providing the necessary support and resources to Ukrainian veterinarians. Your intervention could prevent a catastrophic public health crisis and demonstrate the EU's commitment to humane solutions and international cooperation.Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I am hopeful that, under your guidance, we can work together to address and resolve this crisis effectively and humanely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.