Russian Orcs committed more useless, cruel violence today, because that is what they do. It is what they understand. They hate living things. Amid all the depravity and barbarism wrought by the invaders, living things continue to live. Today I needed some reminding of that fact.
Edited 5:25pm to include Donation Info from comments-
Thanks to a comment from Kuroneko, here are some links if you are feeling like donating money to help Ukrainian animals. Always check out any organization you don’t know for yourself before donating money. Also, check out the original comment for yet another super cute video of soldiers with tiny kittens.
HAPPY PAWS has been around for a while with a long term mission of caring for strays and either reuniting them or rehousing them. They are based in Kyiv. Link goes to website
HOUSE OF HOPE seems to be helping injured animals and neutering / spaying animals in Kharkiv. Link goes to twitter feed started this summer. Facebook page accessible through the donation link on twitter page. I don’t do facebook, but maybe more info there.
UKRAINIAN HUMANITARIAN AND ANIMAL AID seems to be pwered by a couple from Poland that are collecting, transporting, and delivering Aid to communities of humans and animals in Ukraine. They are also on Twitter
UANIMALS has been around for a while. Before the war, they seemed to be working on efforts from Circus cruelty to wildlife issues. Since the war, they have been working on rebuilding shelters, neutering, and other pressing matters. They appear to publish some of their financial reports online for transparency (Ukrainian language only). They also opened up my eyes to the insensitivity of using the term “Orcs” in reference to Russians:
End of update/edit
TRIGGER INFO
There will no images of dogs waiting next to their dead humans in the streets. There will be no images of pets and wildlife or zoo animals killed by Putin’s Horde. There will be one image of an injured animal at the bottom after the embedded tweet with the Behemoth image (title image), but it has a happy ending. THERE ARE A FEW DEPICTIONS OF ANIMALS BEING RESCUED. AND, BECAUSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN UKRAINE, MOST ALL OF THESE ANIMALS ARE STRESSED OR HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED.
But we have to remember that despite all the horror, beauty and love and life persist
First up: Kittie cuteness
Nate has some good shots on his feed (warning — some depictions of violence and suffering on his feed)
Unlike the invading Russian Orcs, Ukrainians love living things. This woman is walking (previous to the war) disabled dogs to safety in the early days of the invasion. So many humans in Ukraine risked, and sometimes lost their lives trying to evacuate, or care for the animals left behind.
Kitties on patrol (or not really)
And, just OMG! Too Cute!
And it’s not just Kitties… bunnies and other living things
And a chimp
This video is kooky as all get out. Glad someone made it.
So, I know there was barely any pooches in this whole diary. I’ll have to do another for them.
Please leave any other cuteness int he comments. And if if have a good link for donating to help animals in Ukraine, I will check back later today and include those in an update to make it easier for others to find them. That said, here is the warning line for those that wish to avoid traumatic imagery.
JUST…. F%CK. I debated not including this, because although the violence is not depicted, it is very sad. But, trauma and tenderness are sometimes very closely intertwined.
Finally, a happy (as happy as can be considering the circumstances) ending (at least to this chapter of the kitty’s life). Click through to see him chowing down in a later follow up reply.
EDITED to remove sadness from above the warning strip