Ukrainians Cheer Up Rescuing Animals Like Bretzel the Lion From Rubble and Starvation

This week PBS aired a new documentary on heroes of Ukraine, human and animal. “Saving the Animals of Ukraine” documents wartime life and death for animals – in war-torn households, in zoos, in the wild – and the people who save them.

The film documents the rescues of starving zoo animals, pets trapped in rubble, and wildlife under siege in national parks. Bretzel the lion has a particularly poignant narrative arc, one that begins in a tiny cage in Ukraine and ends in a sanctuary in Spain.

“Why do we save animals?” asks 77-year-old animal-rights activist Asya Serpinska. “To remain human. To save animals is to remain human.”

One of the creatures saved was Shafa, a 13-year-old cat trapped alone on the seventh floor of a bombed-out apartment building for two months. 

“Of all the animals we rescued,” says Dmitry Revnyuk, founder of the rescue group ZooPatrol, “I still don’t understand how that cat survived.”

Shafa not only survived, she became a minor celebrity and a symbol for war-ravaged Ukrainians. If she can make it through this nightmare, then anything is possible.

The documentary tracks the humans who save animals as well as the animals who save us. The best known of these furry heroes is Patron, the little Jack Russell terrier who is now world renowned for his bomb-sniffing prowess and a penchant for being a very good dog.

Patron’s superpower is his nose and his small size: at only about ten pounds, he is not heavy enough to trip the landmines he sniffs out. This skill set has won him all kinds of acclaim – he received a medal from President Zelensky himself – but he also shines as a support dog who helps comfort traumatized children (and soldiers) in need.

“Saving the Animals of Ukraine” will be shown on PBS through June 12, or watch it here. You can help out ZooPatrol Ukraine here.