Of course, there are many instances, millions of them, of great success in the relationship between humans and animals. They need to be recognised and praised. However, there are far too many instances of abject failure due to the inherent uncivilised nature of humankind which is overwhelmingly evident in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has left shelter animals highly vulnerable to the extent that 300 dogs were found dead at a Ukraine shelter in Russian occupied territory.
It is hardly bearable to read about this but I feel that I must report it. And it is a dire reflection on humankind and the abject failure of war. The pathetic thinking of Putin to think that he can achieve his objectives in such a barbaric way. What does he think he is doing to allow these alleged atrocities and war crimes to take place? I’m referring to the Bucha murders by retreating Russian troops. And there are probably many more instances yet to be exposed but which will be exposed once the Russian occupied territories in Ukraine are opened up to advancing Ukrainian troops.
It is the animals who are the most vulnerable. Women and children are too and the children are being killed and the women are being raped. Huge swathes of Ukrainian properties are being stripped of possessions. The Russians are stealing en masse and shipping it back to their homeland (first-hand witness account).
In this instance, it is reported that hundreds of dogs have died at a Ukrainian animal shelter because they were left unattended by the invading Russian force after they claimed the territory in which the shelter is located.
The Ukraine-based animal rights organisation UAnimals said that 485 dogs were abandoned, locked up in their cages in an animal shelter in Borodyanka.
The Russians took this part of Ukraine and the dogs were left without any sustenance for weeks. All but 150 of the 485 dogs were found dead in the shelter, starved to death, when the Ukrainian volunteers re-entered the place. The remaining dogs were obviously in critical condition and are being cared for. Some of the dogs died on their way to the treatment centre.
Stables and horses destroyed by Russian invaders near Kyiv, the Ukraine capital
To be civilised is to be refined and educated and to treat one another with equality, decency and respect. Humankind should never resort to war as war is an admission by implication of failure. Failure in being civil, failure to resolve matters in a decent and humane manner. The Ukraine war is a reminder of how uncivilised humankind can be and how it is on a journey to being civilised but are nowhere near at the end of that journey.
And in an uncivilised society it is the vulnerable who suffer the most. And in the most civilised society it is the vulnerable who are looked after properly. It is a measure of civilisation as to how the vulnerable are treated and cared for. May these dogs rest in peace. My heart hurts for them.
The Russians must be punished. And we can’t just say it’s about Putin. Until now people have been saying that the Russian citizens are blameless and it’s all down to Putin. I am sorry but that is incorrect. These troops are Russian citizens and they are behaving barbarically. I won’t say that they are behaving like animals because it would insult animals.
I can’t show the photographs of the dead dogs for obvious reasons. I am visiting the UAnimals Facebook page as I write this. I am looking at some small images of the dogs and it is utterly shocking.
Ukraine: sibling dogs spent 2 days on railway line with trains rumbling over them every 30 mins
What I will show is a nice photograph of a Ukrainian fighter cuddling a ginger tabby cat instead. Something beautiful amongst all the devastation. Like the vast majority of people, I am sickened by what is happening in Ukraine. No more words, please. We need more action. Leaders like Macron should be ashamed of themselves trying to negotiate with a psychopathic murderer like Putin.
To have talks about a peace seems to be foolhardy when one of the parties is currently engaged in mass murder. They have to stop before they start talking. You can’t negotiate with a person who is currently engaged in the destruction of a country and the animals, women, children and the men who live in that country.
