Solutions from Ukraine: Lviv’s Home for Rescued Animals launches app to help support wild, exotic, and domestic animals in need

Rubryka explains how anyone can support our beloved animal companions by fostering them through the app.

What's the problem?

Running an animal shelter is a significant financial burden. The animals under the care of shelters and centers multiplied significantly during the war and required daily attention, proper nourishment, parasite prevention, and sometimes costly medical care. Funds must be allocated for veterinary services, medication, vaccinations, supplies, waste disposal, disinfectants, fuel, and various other expenses.

"The Home for Rescued Animals does not have major sponsors who come and provide support for the animal rescue center. Instead, it relies solely on the help of dedicated individuals who selflessly contribute their efforts to assist both the Home and our furry residents daily. Thanks to these kind-hearted people, our organization can operate two large animal rescue centers and care for many animals," Orest Zalipsky, head of the Lviv Home for Rescued Animals, said.

Because of a shortage of funds for caring for the animals, the Home, which houses over 1,500 exotic, wild, and domestic animals, was on the brink of survival.

What is the solution?

To rectify the situation and avoid the closure of the shelter, which provides refuge for animals from all across Ukraine, the Home for Rescued Animals has recently launched a mobile app. This app allows individuals to support the shelter by taking an animal under one's care.

How does it work?

The charity organization, Home of Rescued Animals, initially focused on rescuing wild and domestic animals. This shelter has since welcomed many rescued animals from fur farms, circuses, hunters, and poachers, including foxes, raccoons, wolves, owls, monkeys, horses, and goats.

With the beginning of a full-scale war, the Home also began to care for pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Many of them were evacuated from frontline zones and areas where hostilities were taking place. Thanks to volunteers' activities, the Home helps animals affected by cruel treatment and war find peace, veterinary care, and new loving families.

The institution's director has received numerous inquiries about the possibility of taking personal care of the animals from the shelter. While animal care is not a new concept, the center faced the question of how to garner attention for their furry residents from a wider audience. The solution came in the form of a mobile application, with the assistance of some tech-savvy friends who helped bring the idea to fruition.

The first "pocket shelter in Ukraine," the Home of Rescued Animals app, was launched in November.

"We worked on this for about a year and a half. And all so that everyone could feel like a part of the shelter and join in helping from anywhere in the world," the shelter reported.

Thanks to the app, anyone can now become a guardian for a resident of the Home—whether it be a wild, exotic, or domestic animal under the shelter's care. This allows for providing food, care, and treatment for the chosen animal.

"In the app, you can "partially support" an animal for as little as 50 UAH. This makes you a curator for that animal. However, the cost of caring for an animal can be significantly higher – ranging from 181 UAH to 5572 UAH, depending on the animal. As a result, one animal may have multiple curators if donations do not fully cover their needs. With the new update, a "slider" will be available in the app to help track the amount of support provided for each shelter resident," Orest Zalipsky details.

They're also interested in incorporating the following features into the app:

• helping users find animal companions in need of a loving home;

• a section displaying the shelter's current needs;

• updates on the shelter's activities.

You can join this project and become a patron for an animal at the Home of Rescued Animals, even while you are overseas. For donations from international banks, there is a "payment from another bank" feature on the application, which allows you to input the information from a foreign bank card. After converting it from your currency, the shelter will receive the payment in hryvnia.

Currently, the application only has a Ukrainian language version, but as Orest Zalipsky shared, in the future, it is planned to add several more different languages: English, German, and Polish.

You can download the application on Google Play and the App Store.

Even more useful solutions!

You have the opportunity to serve as a curator and play the role of "St. Nicholas" for the residents of the Home of Rescued Animals. The Lviv animal shelter started this exceptional tradition a few years back, and it is known as "St. Nicholas in the Home."

"All our animals are also waiting for a miracle, and since St. Nicholas has a lot of work to do, we need to help him," the shelter team urges.

It's pretty straightforward here –select a letter you like and grant the animal's "wish." This tradition from the Home aids in resolving animal issues. You'll get the chance to contribute to a positive cause and assist the shelter.

You can also support the Home using the following bank accounts:

PrivatBank card: 4149 6293 8110 7192;

PrivatBank's envelope;

Monobank card: 5375 4141 2734 0015;

Monobank jar;

PayPal domivka_@ukr.net;

"Home of Rescued Animals" Charity Foundation

EDRPOU [a unique 8-digit number that identifies legal entities in Ukraine – ed.]: 44086841

IBAN: UA773052990000026006031017177

JSC CB PRIVATBANK

Card key: 5169 3305 2375 2514

For reference:

It should be noted that the animal protection groups Save Pets of Ukraine, URSA, and Patron Pet Center have teamed up to organize an exhibition in Kyiv focused on rescuing stray dogs. This is a meaningful reminder that these animals can be saved through adoption into loving families.