Now Indian nationals can bring along their pets for rescue from Ukraine

Hyderabad: Following an appeal for help on social media by Rishabh Kaushik, an Indian student refusing to leave the war-hit Ukraine without his companion dog Malibu, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India sent an urgent letter to the Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala requesting that he issue an […]

Hyderabad: Following an appeal for help on social media by Rishabh Kaushik, an Indian student refusing to leave the war-hit Ukraine without his companion dog Malibu, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India sent an urgent letter to the Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala requesting that he issue an urgent no-objection certificate and ensure safe transport for both the dog and Kaushik to India.

PETA India requested that the Minister ease the rules on veterinary documentation for dogs, cats, and other companion animals of families seeking safe passage from Ukraine to India.

---

In response to PETA’s appeal, Parshottam Rupala, issued an office memorandum stating that “considering unique and extraordinary situations in war-hit Ukraine wherein pre-export requisite formalities for export of pets into India may not be fulfilled, the import of pet dogs and/or pet cats along with stranded Indians being rescued by the Government of India is being facilitated as a one-time relaxation measure”.

The memorandum includes relaxed pre-import and post-import conditions which include the declaration of the owner that the pet dogs and / or pet cats is residing with him / her at least for the past one month and the owner should also produce the pet vaccination certificates and report at any Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) branches in India.

The memorandum also directs regional officers of all animal quarantine and certification services to coordinate with the respective state veterinary authorities to share details of each import with the central government’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The details about the pre-import and post-import conditions can be checked here:

https://www.petaindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/O.M.-28-February-2022-on-facilitation-of-import-of-Pets-from-Ukraine.pdf

From Ukraine, there have been reports of people who have refused to leave without their companion animals and travelled great distances facing the bitter cold and risks of a war carrying their companion animals in their arms, trying to find a safe route out. A café owner in Lviv, Ukraine, refused to leave his city because he feared that in his absence, the cats under his care would be neglected and starve and die.

---

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .

---