UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Mar. 5 — One of the Russian drones hit near the communal enterprise “Animal Handling Center,” damaging the buildings and injuring animals, said Mariia Kutsenko, the press secretary of the center, to Gwara Media.
“At the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, our animals survived a tank battle nearby. A year ago, a missile strike caused minimal damage to the shelter. But previous attacks cannot compare to what we went through last night,” said Kutsenko.
The cat shelter, which housed over 100 animals, suffered the most damage. The attack broke all the windows and damaged the ceiling in the building. Broken glass covered the floor in all enclosures.
Kutsenko said that the blast wave damaged treatment and surgery rooms and almost the whole veterinary equipment.
The shelter workers checked the animals and found that they were all alive, but some cats had broken teeth and injuries in their mouths.
“The animals tried to escape from their cages and jumped around everywhere because of severe stress. Emotionally, they experience this much more strongly than humans,” said Kutsenko.
There are nearly 500 animals in the entire shelter, including 400 dogs and 100 cats.
The press secretary said the dog shelter suffered less damage, but all the dogs also had an acute stress reaction.
Also, Kutsenko said that the Russian attack damaged storage rooms with pet food. Glass and building materials fell on some of the bags, so the shelter workers don’t know which food they can use.
The attack also damaged gas equipment and the heating system in the shelter.
The workers have already begun repairing the damage from the Russian attack. They cover the damage with plywood, clear the debris, and restore operations in the surgery rooms.
“Surgery rooms are the most urgent issue. We cannot stop working because we are receiving new animals brought in by the military, volunteers, or people evacuating from dangerous areas,” said Kutsenko.
Kutsenko noted that “Animal Handling Center” serves as a first point for animals brought from territories near the frontline. Then they are transferred to other shelters in safer regions.
The workers temporarily moved some cats from their destroyed enclosures to other buildings.
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