UAnimals is a Ukrainian animal welfare organization founded in 2016. The organization is actively involved in sheltering and rehabilitating animals during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The animal rights movement was created in 2016 by a public activist Oleksandr Todorchuk. UAnimals activities began with the struggle against animal abuse and exploitation in circuses. UAnimals activists see the fight for animal rights as an opportunity to save both animals and people. According to the McDonald triad cruel treatment of humans stems from animal abuse.
On October 15, 2017, the All-Ukrainian March for Animal Rights took place for the first time at the initiative of UAnimals. The event took place simultaneously in 17 cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Dnipro and Mariupol. According to media reports, more than 5,000 people attended the march in Kyiv alone. Thus, the action has become the largest animal protection event in Eastern Europe.
In 2018, the All-Ukrainian March for Animal Rights united 20 cities. In 2019, at the initiative of UAnimals, this large-scale campaign was held again simultaneously in 24 cities of Ukraine. Also, for the first time in history, the event took place at the Vernadsky station in Antarctica.
In 2019, at the initiative of UAnimals, the Cruelty-free fashion nomination, which honors the most ethical designers, debuted at the main fashion awards of Ukraine, "Best Fashion Awards". In the same year, thanks to the efforts of UAnimals, the book "Animal Liberation" by the philosopher Peter Singer was first published in Ukrainian by the Pabulum publishing house.
Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, UAnimals had to change the format of their annual march. That year, the event was held for the first time thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. On October 3, several thousand participants attended the humanitarian event thanks to the face swap technology from the Ukrainian application Reface. On September 5, 2021, the March returned to the streets of Ukrainian cities, taking place simultaneously in 30 settlements. In Kyiv, participants of the march presented the requirements for legislative provisions for humane treatment of animals in Ukraine to the People's Deputies.
An important part of UAnimals activities is the fight for the ban of cosmetics testing on animals. Thanks to the participation and efforts of the movement's activists, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the technical regulations on cosmetic products, which prohibits the testing of decorative and medical cosmetics on animals.
In 2021, thanks to the participation of UAnimals and the Humane State Interfractional Union, the creation of which was initiated by Oleksandr Todorchuk, it was possible to achieve the adoption of Law 2351, which provides for increased criminal liability for animal cruelty, as well as a ban on photo services and animal begging.
In its activities, the movement tries to use creative approaches that will attract people's attention and allow them to view the issue from a different perspective. In 2021, the project created specifically for UAnimals by the communication agency Gres Todorchuk was included in the shortlist of the international festival of creativity Cannes Lions.
2022 and Russian invasion of Ukraine
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, UAnimals began working to shelter and rehabilitate animals negatively impacted by the conflict.[1] The organization also coordinates volunteers to help animals abandoned in zoos and farms during the invasion.[2] Its activities involve evacuating animals from combat zones,[3] and providing food and supplies to shelters, zoos, and rehabilitation centers.[4][5][6]
Goals 2025
During the All-Ukrainian March for Animal Rights, activists from all over Ukraine signed a memorandum with the main goals of animal protection to be achieved until 2025. Some items, such as the inclusion of moose into the Red Book of Ukraine, have already been completed.
A clear definition of the right of ownership of an animal and the elimination of such right as a result of cruel treatment to ensure the responsibility of animal owners.
Facilitate the creation of zoo police and the introduction of an effective system of control and legal penalties for animal cruelty in Ukraine.
Ban on the use of animals in circuses and dolphinariums.
Prohibition of exploitation of animals for begging and photo services.
Prohibition of creation and operation of trap shooting stations.
Refusal to use live animals for experiments, etc.
Development of animal rehabilitation centers for keeping animals affected by human activity.
Legal opposition to operation of fur farms and to the development of the fur industry.
Prohibition and prevention of dog hunters activities.
Termination of programs of mass killing and euthanasia of stray animals in cities of Ukraine.
Inclusion of moose and other endangered wild animals of Ukraine's natural range into the Red Book of Ukraine.
Animal-free circus
Since 2016 the movement for the humane treatment of animals has been fighting against animal abuse and exploitation in circuses. The activists claim that animals are being kept in horrible inhumane conditions and get abused during training. To support their claims the activists present videos and photos taken behind the scenes in Ukrainian circuses.
UAnimals has organized numerous picketing actions, as well as a large-scale rally "For animal-free circuses!", which took place in Kyiv Taras Shevchenko park, assembling over 1,000 activists, among whom were the famous musicians ONUKA, Dasha Astafieva, Vivienne Mort and The Maneken.
Animal rights activists have released a series of social advertisements, and also created a special nomination "Animal-free Circus" at the social advertising festival Molodiya Festival.
At the request of UAnimals, former prisoners of Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Terezin prisoner Ihor Malytsky appealed to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to ban the exploitation of animals in circuses.
Representatives of the clergy also expressed their opinion about circuses. Clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Umma" also spoke out against the abuse of animals in circuses.
The result of the coordinated efforts of animal rights activists was a number of local bans on mobile circuses with animals. These include Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Dnipro city bans. The international circus festival "Kobzov's Golden Trick" was held without the participation of animals.
Furthermore, the transportation of wild animals for circus acts was prohibited at the legislative level in Ukraine, which theoretically made it impossible to operate a tent and hold touring acts with animals.
In the fall of 2019, after consultations and discussions with UAnimals, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine stopped purchasing new animals for state circuses.
Together with lawyers, the UAnimals humanist movement composed the draft law No. 5409 "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving Legislation on the Protection of Animals from Cruelty in Entertainment". On June 30, 2021, the draft law was supported by the environmental committee of the Verkhovna Rada. The document prohibits the use of all animals in circuses; transfer of animals from state circuses, which are on their balance sheet, free of charge to rehabilitation centers and other institutions defined by legislation.
Anti-fur campaign
Since 2017, the movement for humanity has started active propaganda against fur usage. As a result of UAnimals' negotiations with Ukrainian clothing brands, dozens of Ukrainian designers, including Andre TAN, BEVZA, ELENAREVA, Ksenia Schnaider, PRZHONSKAYA, Nadya Dzyak and Yana Chervinska, pledged not to use fur in their collections.
On February 24, 2019, at the initiative of UAnimals, the All-Ukrainian action "Take off fur forever!" was held in 10 cities. The participants of the action urged Ukrainians to abandon wearing natural fur clothes, and parliamentarians to ban fur farms.
In 2020, UAnimals launched a "fur shop" where the price was indicated by the number of animals killed. The action, timed for Fur Free Friday, aimed to draw attention to the problem of fur production in the world.
International status
The UAnimals humanist movement is a member of the following international associations:
Since 2018, the global anti-fur alliance Fur Free Alliance
Since 2019, the International Anti-Fur Coalition
From 2021 — Dolphinarium Free Europe
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