Worldwide Vets

Worldwide Vets (WWV) is a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce suffering, advance welfare and improve medical care available to all species worldwide. Thank you to The Street Dog Coalition for its donation to equip a mobile veterinary clinic for WWV that can operate in and around Ukraine as hostilities permit.

Caring for Stray Pets: 2024 has been a busy year so far. Between April and May WWV hosted 27 vet volunteers in Ukraine on its largest mission to date. The volunteers came from all corners of the USA as well as Europe and Australia. Since April they have completed 943 sterilizations, 1,345 rabies vaccines, 1,194 parasite treatments and 1,491 animals have been dewormed. Their yearly Ukraine total is now 6,374 treatments and 1,397 sterilizations, moving ever closer to its 2024 goal of 15,000 treatments and 4,000 sterilizations.

WWV has a permanent team on the ground in Ukraine, led by  CEO Dr Gemma Campling, and a team of Ukrainian vets, nurses, and support staff, joined on the regular by international vet volunteers and working together with charity Tiernothilfe Ukraine e.v. and 12 Вартових.  They have worked in to the west of Ukraine to assist with a huge overpopulation of dogs around the border towns. This area is where many crossed into the European Union and having brought their pets from home, made the heartbreaking decision to leave them behind. This occurred for many reasons. Financial difficulty, fear of moving with an animal and how it may affect their chances of refugee status, or not being allowed to bring animals on public transport that was crossing out of Ukraine.

9 Lions Saved from Wartorn Ukraine: In May 2022, Dr Campling led the veterinary procedure for a daring rescue mission unlike any that has been known before. The largest evacuation of carnivores form an active war zone. British army veterans from Breaking The Chains provided security and logistical support and the animals were evacuated for Warriors of Wildlife, run by Lionel de Lange.

The nine lions were facing starvation at their home in the Biopark, Odesa, where supplies of meat were running dangerously low because of the war. If Russian missiles damaged the animal enclosures, civilians would be in serious danger from the loose predators. The group travelled thousands of miles across three borders over 72 hours to carry out the rescue.