Arduous journey

Relief goods tour for people and animals to Ukraine

For the fifth time, Tom Putzgruber and Christine Schreiner set off for the war-torn country with a load of urgently needed products.(Bild: Verein RespekTiere)

With around a tonne of essential supplies for people and animals in their luggage, employees of the RespekTiere association, including a woman from Mühlviertel, set off in a van on an arduous journey to the Eastern European war-torn country.

After the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops ordered by Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, the willingness to help in Europe was enormous. Numerous aid shipments were sent to alleviate the suffering of the local population. This wave of solidarity has since subsided, but the plight of the people has not diminished.

Christine Schreiner and Tom Putzgruber visited five countries on their trip(Bild: Verein RespekTiere)

However, Tom Putzgruber from Salzburg and Christine Schreiner from Mühlviertel - both employees of the RespekTiere association - remain loyal to the Ukrainians. They recently organized their fifth aid trip to the war-torn country. "We traveled 3,000 kilometers, passed through five countries and took a ton of essential supplies with us," says Putzgruber.

Putzgruber with one of the many dogs that have to be cared for in the shelter because they no longer have owners(Bild: ? Verein RespekTiere)

Pet food in the luggage
Urgently needed products such as clothing, basic foodstuffs, medical supplies, hygiene articles and walking frames were delivered.

These goods were urgently needed(Bild: ? Verein RespekTiere)

 "We also had 600 kilos of urgently needed pet food for a dog shelter in Uzghorod," says Putzgruber. The journey was extremely exhausting, especially due to the sweltering heat and nerve-wracking waiting times at border crossing points. "It always took hours before the customs and border police formalities were finally completed."

In the Ukraine(Bild: Verein RespekTiere)

300 animals in animal sanctuary
In Ukraine, the animal rights activists encountered unimaginable human and animal suffering. "We heard about endless problems - including at the animal shelter, where 300 animals are housed, but only two or three dogs are adopted every month at most, although new ones are constantly being added."