In Odesa, unique Ukrainian experts Leonid and Valentina Stoyanova from the charity Vet Crew, which specializes in working with exotic and wild animals, saved three rare forest kittens from shelling by the Russian occupiers.
Currently, the cubs of the Red Book forest cat are in rehabilitation, according to a post on the Instagram page of BO Vet Crew.
According to zoo activists, the nest of kittens next to the dead mother cat was found by residents of the surrounding villages after another shelling by the Russian army in Odesa region.
The animals were then evacuated to the specialized veterinary clinic Vet Crew Hospital, where they were given first aid and are still being rehabilitated and adapted after the artillery shelling.
"We received an urgent call. People found four kittens of a wild forest cat. We did not hesitate to go on call. Unfortunately, one kitten died while we were driving," activists said.
According to their estimates, the kittens spent about 5-6 days without their mother, which means that they were without food for the same number of days. The three surviving kittens were under severe stress.
"After arriving at the clinic, we immediately conducted a general examination of the kittens and it turned out that one of them is in critical condition, with severe exhaustion and infection. Now we are fighting for his life. Two other kittens are feeling well and undergoing rehabilitation. that they will return to the wild," the statement said.
Certificate. In 1980, all subspecies of forest cat were listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, as the number of this inhuman animal is declining due to deforestation, extermination and human capture, and now the war is playing a role in reducing their population.
According to Vet Crew experts, there are currently about 300 individuals of the Central European forest cat in Ukraine.
Earlier EcoPolitics wrote that Kharkiv animal rights activists Tetyana and Andriy, fleeing the war, saved all the residents of their home private shelter, including more than 70 cats, a dog and a guinea pig.