Wednesday 18 May 2022 08:04 PM Animal advocate expands his pet rescue mission in Ukraine to include zoo ... trends now
One man's unwavering commitment to save the abandoned animals in war-torn Ukraine has expanded into one of 'the largest and most dangerous' animal rescue efforts in history that has so far seen 3,000 saved in just eight weeks.
Now the British army veteran and founder of the dog advocacy group, Breaking the Chains, will set out on his most grueling undertaking yet, as he and his team travel to the most volatile areas in the besieged country.
'It's a race against time to get to the most desperate of places,' Tom, 34, who prefers to keep his last name anonymous for security reasons, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
'Of course we want to extract as many animals as possible, the sick and injured, but we can't get them all which is why we are bringing enough food and supplies to last for months.'
The meticulously planned operation will take over three weeks and involve driving anywhere between 1,200 to 1,300 miles a day, roughly 20 to 21 hours, to those areas under immediate and direct threat.
Eight vehicles will be delivering a staggering 300 tons of food and medical supplies throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
British Army veteran, Tom, 34, has been on a mission to save abandoned and displaced animals in war-torn Ukraine with his rescue group, Breaking the Chains, since arriving in the country in March
Tom and his team are seen loading stranded dogs and other pets roaming the streets of the dangerous, bombed out cities of Ukraine
British army veterans Steve and Gaz with Breaking the Chains carry an injured dog to a medical clinic after rescuing the pup earlier in the day on May 10 in a Russian occupied territory
'We are looking at one of the largest and most dangerous animal rescue operations in history,' explained Tom.
'This means saving the lives of tens of thousands of animals.
'At the start of the war, we saw, time and time again, shelters and zoos getting caught behind Russian lines with little food, water and supplies. I don't want to see that happen again. It broke my heart,' Tom recalled.
'We want to stock as many shelters and homes as we possibly can to ensure what happened at the beginning doesn't happen again.'
Tom and his team have already saved countless animals on the verge of starvation and death, with one of their most recent successful missions taking place on May 10.
The team managed to bring 25 injured dogs and cats to safety after receiving word from a concerned owner that some of her pets were trapped in a home inside the Russian occupied area of Sorokivka, east of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.
A woman called Irynia had managed to rescue dogs and cats when she snuck into the Russian-occupied area. But then her house was bombed. At the time she was out, and fortunately her dogs narrowly escaped the burning building.
She then reached out to Tom and his team, who helped retrieve the remaining animals.Several of the dogs suffered severe burns after the building was struck by a thermal missile which subsequently burnt the entire structure to the ground.
The team managed to bring 25 injured dogs and cats to safety after receiving word from a concerned owner that some of her pets were trapped in a building (pictured) inside the Russian occupied village of Sorokivka, east of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. Several of the dogs suffered severe burns after the building was struck by a thermal missile which subsequently burnt the entire structure to the ground
Pet owner Irynia is seen standing next to her dogs that narrowly escaped death after her house was destroyed by Russian missiles. She was not home at the time of the fire, but luckily her pets escaped the burning building
Irynia's other dog suffered from severe burns after escaping her burning home. He is now safe along with her cats (right) and is receiving medical care
Fortunately, the dogs were able to narrowly escape the blazing building.
Tom was able to retrieve the dogs, along with other animals stranded in the destroyed city, all of whom are now receiving life saving treatments in a clinic.
'Me being the individual that I am, I can't sit back and not do anything. If I have the ability and the capability to help, then I will. My area of expertise is conflict zones and I am medically trained with battlefield trauma,' he said.
'I can offer something fairly unique, and I have the experience to do this.'
When news of Russia's invasion broke around the world in February, Tom, who is originally from Yorkshire, England, instinctively felt the urge to get involved and within two weeks, packed his bags to move to Ukraine for the first time.
Tom arrived in early March accompanied by just his close friend and fellow British army veteran Steve, and their one van.
Tom attempting to gain a scared dog's trust after it had been found in horrendous living conditions where the animals were tied up with short chains and left with little food and water. They were all left behind when the war broke out
An abandoned puppy was found roaming the streets until he was rescued by Tom and the Breaking the Chains team
Haunting photos of some of the many petrified dogs left behind at a run-down shelter left to die until Tom and his team rescued them all
Together, they found a 'safe place' to stay in the battered country which would ultimately become their headquarters.
The team has now grown to include 18 members made up of six fellow British war veterans who work on the ground, and 12 volunteers from the UK, US, and Canada who look after the animals.
Among them are two veterinarians, identified only as Courtney, from the US, and Louise, who is from the UK.
Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Louise feeding an injured ginger cat with a syringe and Courtney bathing a rescue dog.
Another volunteer, Pip from the UK, can be seen smiling while she cuddles with a group of adorable puppies.
'The volunteers are my heroes. The work that they do with the animals is absolutely incredible,' said Tom.
'To watch these dogs and cats transform from being petrified and hiding in the corner to wanting to play and get cuddles, is an absolute joy, and it's all because of the volunteers and their commitment to the animals.
'Without the constant support of the volunteers, my ground teams would not be able to do what we do.'
Up until now, the majority of the saved animals have been relocated to various shelters and clinics in Romania.
However, the growing need for immediate housing led Tom to take matters into his own hands and make the bold decision to build his own shelter in the war-ravaged country.
'Obviously the more animals we can house, the more we can save,' explained Tom. 'I just signed a two-year contract on a large property in Ukraine. That means Breaking the Chains will be living inside the country for the next two years. It also means we will help rebuild when the war finishes.
Additional pics of dog that was injured while escaping burning building that was hit by Russian missiles. Here he is being carried into a medical facility where he is expected to make a full recovery
Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show UK volunteer veterinarian Louise (left) feeding an injured ginger cat with a syringe and American volunteer vet Courtney (right) giving a rescued dog a thorough bath at the Breaking the Chains headquarters in Ukraine
UK volunteer Pip enjoying some quality cuddle time with a group of adorable puppies at the Breaking the Chains facility in Ukraine
He continued: 'We still have a lot of hard work to do. We have a big mission of what we want to accomplish
