A woman in Ukraine has been finding and rescuing animals during the Ukraine-Russia war, according to reports.
50-year-old Natalia Popova continues to travel into war zones where she has already located and rescued hundreds of animals, before rehabilitating them and finding them a permanent home somewhere else in Europe.
“No one wants to go there. Everyone is afraid. I am also scared, but I go anyway,” Popova said. “I feel very sorry for them. I can imagine the stress animals are under because of the war, and no one can help them.”
“They are my life,” she added. “My mission in this war is to save wild animals.”
Popova said she has traveled throughout Ukraine and has already saved more than 300 animals from war zones.
She returns to a rehabilitation center upon locating and capturing the creatures, where she provides them care and begins the process of finding them a new home elsewhere.
“I love them, and I understand that I do not have the resources to provide them with the comfortable life they deserve,” Popova said.
With the help of the animal protection group UA Animals, 200 of the rescued animals have been sent abroad while 100 found new homes in the west of Ukraine. Many of the animals she found were once wild but were kept in private homes as pets before their owners were forced to flee due to the Russian invasion.
While initially using her own funds to rescue them, Popova has since begun borrowing money to keep animals healthy and fed, with her debt reaching $200,000 already.
“I will still borrow money, go to hot spots and save animals. I can’t say no to them,” Popova said, adding that partnering with UA animals has helped offset some of the costs.
Most of the animals she rescues are complete strangers to her — not knowing their names or any information about their previous owners.
“Animals don’t introduce themselves when they come to us,” she joked.
Popova now houses 133 animals, including 13 lions, a leopard, a tiger, three deer, wolves, foxes, raccoons, and roe deer, and other domesticated animals such as horses, dogs, and cats.
