Victory – One Animal at a Time

PETA to the Rescue in Disasters and Danger

Rescuers were searching for animals in an abandoned village in Ukraine when they found this little dog. It had been months since villagers – fleeing to escape falling bombs – had left her behind. Her hair coming out in clumps, she made her way through this ghost town, desperate for help. Her raw skin burned like fire: Spider-like mites bore into her pores, and the red mange left her in agony.

But today, thanks to intensive, round-the-clock care at Animal Rescue Kharkiv’s (ARK) PETA-funded clinic, Victory’s coat is thick and shiny and her once-inflamed skin is healthy. Fear and loneliness are no longer a part of her daily life.

Since the war in Ukraine began, PETA Germany and partner organizations, including ARK, have rescued more than 15,000 animals. When the Kakhovka Dam was destroyed, these brave rescuers navigated the floodwaters, broken power lines, and even hidden mines to reach animals in danger of drowning. And PETA Germany has collected and delivered more than 3 million pounds (1.4 million kilograms) of food for animals in the country.

Whether it’s human-caused calamities, natural disasters, or abuse, PETA’s first responders do whatever is humanly possible to get animals out. Meet these recently rescued individuals:

Born in Romania, Dumped by the Roadside

An ambulance worker in Romania stumbled upon a litter of kittens abandoned right next to a busy hospital. Three had already been killed in traffic, and PETA Germany’s team wasn’t about to let that happen to the others. Nicknamed “The Three Musketeers” by their rescuers, Aramis, Athos, and Porto are representative of the more than 600,000 dogs and cats who struggle to survive on Romanian streets. In the past five years, PETA Germany’s “PETA Helps Romania” team has provided more than 50,000 animals with veterinary care, doghouses, food, and more.

Hoarded in North Carolina

PETA’s fieldworkers in the southern US have seen it all: dogs chained without shelter in all weather – even during flooding caused by tropical storms and hurricanes – animals penned for life amid their own waste, others who are yelled at or just forgotten. We improve their living conditions however we can and show people how to care for animals in basic ways. In just one example, PETA’s fieldworkers assisted with the relinquishment of dozens of animals from a hoarder who had kept them in hideously cramped, filthy conditions. Joy the piglet, two gregarious goats, and 57 ducks and chickens are now in loving, responsible homes.

Help for an Island Horse and Chickens Thrown From a Truck

PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department receives hundreds of requests for help every week regarding cases of animal abuse and neglect. Thanks to our efforts, law enforcement in Turks and Caicos seized an emaciated horse who was being worked to death for tours and she received care and rehabilitation.

And after a truck carrying thousands of chickens overturned in Oregon, PETA and Direct Action Everywhere staff rushed to the scene and plucked Milagros from the wreckage. Milagros was initially in such bad shape that he could barely take even three steps, but he has since lost his excess “slaughter weight” and has settled into sanctuary life.

Saving Mega in Manila

PETA Asia staff found Mega abandoned and chained up near a condo complex in the Philippines. After treating him for heartworm disease and other ailments, they found a wonderful family to adopt him. Homeless and neglected cats and dogs are a common sight in the poor neighborhoods of Manila, but PETA Asia is working to curb the crisis with a vigorous spay/neuter program.

PETA India Helps a Camel Run Away From the Circus

PETA India rescued handsome Bahadhur – along with a pony, three dogs, a goat, and a baby bonnet macaque – when the group and local police raided the Karur Latha Circus, which was illegally forcing animals to perform. They transferred all the rescued animals to one of PETA-supported Animal Rahat’s spacious sanctuaries, where veterinarians removed Bahadhur’s painful nose pegs – wooden plugs threaded through his nostrils – and removed maggots from his festering wounds. He has adjusted beautifully to his new home and has a new best friend, another rescued camel, named Samarth.