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Ukrainian women made saving animals a priority during the Ukrainian-Russian war.
Natalia Popova, 50, continues to migrate to conflict zones and has already found and rescued hundreds of animals before rehabilitating them and finding permanent habitat elsewhere in Europe. I’m here.
“No one wants to go there. Everyone is afraid. I’m scared too, but I’m going anyway,” Popova said. “I feel very sorry for them. It is not hard to imagine the stress these animals have because of the war. No one can help them.”
“They are my life. My mission in this war is to save the wild animals.”
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Popova said she has traveled all over Ukraine, including conflict zones, and has already saved more than 300 animals from war.
“I love them, and I understand that I don’t have the resources to provide them with the comfortable life they deserve,” she added.
Once the animal is found and captured, she returns to the rehabilitation center, where she provides care and begins the process of finding a new home.
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In partnership with animal rights group UA Animals, 200 rescued animals were shipped out of the country and 100 found new homes in western Ukraine.
Many of the animals she found were once wild but were kept in private homes as pets before the Russian invasion forced their owners to flee.
For months, Popova threw herself into the hotspots of war. She also funded a shelter with her own funds before the Russian invasion of Ukraine derailed her horse business.
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Now Popova is in debt and continues to do so because she needs more than $14,000 a month to keep her animals healthy and nourished. Her personal debt ballooned to her $200,000.
Since then, she has partnered with UA Animals to help with her transportation and offset some of the costs.
“I still borrow money, go to hotspots, save animals. I can’t say no to them,” Popova said.
Most of the animals she rescues have no name, age, previous owner, or anything else.
“Animals don’t introduce themselves when they come to us,” she joked.
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She currently has 133 animals. The zoo includes 13 lions, 1 leopard, 1 tiger, 3 deer, wolves, foxes, raccoons, roe deer, and farm animals such as horses, dogs, and cats.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.