♪♪ [ Dog barking ] [ Explosions ] ♪♪ -People at least they understand what's going on.

Animals, they don't understand.

[ Dogs yelping ] -The Ukraine war has really been an eye-opener to many of us as to the complexities of our obligations to animals in wartime.

The entire world is seeing the depth of animal suffering and on many levels -- pets, livestock, even wild animals.

-I spotted something moving.

"Have a look.

There's an animal up there."

And he was like "Kate, it's the 7th floor, Come on, there's nothing that's alive there anymore."

So, I zoomed in and I saw it's a cat.

-It's undoubtedly the biggest pet evacuation in history.

No one's going to be left behind, including their pets.

[ Indistinct talking in foreign language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Metal door opening ] [ Wind whistling ] [ Lion roars ] [ Lion roars ] [ Lion roars ] ♪♪ [ Lion roars ] ♪♪ I've worked on many conflicts, from Cambodia to Sierra Leone, to Rwanda, to Syria.

[ Dog barks ] Evacuation of pets has not really come onto my radar.

It's not something that I think is discussed until the Ukraine conflict because I saw it happening and it was so obviously part and parcel of people trying to save themselves and their families.

For me, it's undoubtedly the biggest pet evacuation in history.

In a sense, no one's going to be left behind, including their pets.

♪♪ -We moved like almost 4 million, right?

And huge crowds, but somehow Ukrainians got very self-organized.

We are letting people to escape for freedom.

Of course, it wouldn't be human to force them to leave their pets alone.

So it was a decision -- kids first, women first, but somehow our people on the ground were very sensible.

They were finding the ways to make pets fit into those railcars.

One of the images that always with me is this one little girl who carries also a little dog with her.

And to me, it's like a symbol of that dedication.

This is very human nature and it's probably another reason why people from all over the world connected with the Ukrainians, why there was such an overwhelming support.

[ Train whistle blows ] And this atmosphere that you don't just escape for safety, but you also help someone to escape.

[ Dog barking ] [ Barking continues ] ♪♪ -Before the war, Patron enjoyed life as a normal Jack Russell Terrier.

-[ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Dog barks ] -And like so many other Ukrainians, for Patron, war was a call to action.

He joined the ranks of those protecting their nation from one of its biggest threats...landmines.

♪♪ ♪♪ ZooPatrol was founded on the 3rd of March -- exactly a week after the start of the war.

[ Tools whirring, pounding ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Woman whispering in foreign language ] ♪♪ The ZooPatrol volunteers were soon making smaller feeding holes by unscrewing the peepholes.

Then they inserted a plastic tube to deliver food and water to the animal trapped inside.

[ Woman exclaiming ] ♪♪ Patron's owner, Mykhailo, heads up the bomb squad in the Ukraine city of Chernhiv.

♪♪ Every day, he and his team scour Ukrainian land, clearing up the traces of war.

They have their work cut out for them.

-Even before February 24th, Ukraine was among the list of countries with a high level of contamination by the landmines.

And right now, Ukraine is leading the world in this situation.

-In these fields are thousands of bombs, shells and grenades waiting to explode.

Places where farmers used to grow food have become mine fields that will take years to clear.

[ Man speaking foreign language ] That's where Patron comes in.

In Ukrainian, the word "Patron" means "bullet."

This is one fast dog.

And he loves to dig and dig and dig!

He can easily dig all day long.

But his most outstanding superpower is his exceptional sense of smell.

Especially in his newfound career as a bomb-sniffing dog.

♪♪ Patron's training began with getting accustomed to the sound of explosions along with the smell of gunpowder.

[ Explosion ] He passed with flying colors.

Within a short period, he had traded in fetching sticks and slippers for sleuthing out explosive objects.

Even explosives hidden deep in the ground.

But what sets Patron apart from the typical bomb-sniffing dogs?

His size.

Patron has his own built-in protection from landmines.

At 4.5 kilograms, or 9 pounds, his low weight ensures that, even if he were to walk over a mine, nothing would happen.

It takes a minimum of 5 kilograms or 10 pounds to trigger a landmine.

Patron's compact frame removes the constant threat of detonation.

And, like any superhero, he has a signature uniform.

Performing one of the highest risk jobs a person can do, Patron's bomb squad teammates are grateful for the added level of protection he provides against the ongoing threat of injury and death.

[ Radio beeps, man speaks indistinctly ] [ Explosion ] Natalia Popova started saving animals by going into the war's hotspots.

[ Lion growling, dog barking ] [ Animal roars ] [ Distant explosions ] ♪♪ [ Explosions continue ] ♪♪ [ Animal calling ] ♪♪ Located just outside of Kyiv, in the town of Hostomel, is Ukraine's most famous animal shelter.

[ Dogs barking ] ♪♪ At age 77, legendary activist Asya Serpinska is one of the original founders of the animal-rights movement in Ukraine.

-We're 3.5 kilometers straight line to Hostomel airport.

24 of February, the Russians attacked this airport and conquered this airport and of course this airport was bombarded... ...by the Russian missiles and artillery.

It was hard battle for this airport.

[ Explosions ] [ Indistinct talking in foreign language ] Two armies fight each other and we, with our dogs and cats, between them.

[ Explosion ] [ Dog barking ] [ Distant explosions ] [ Dogs barking ] [ Barking continues ] It were more than 150 missiles flying from one side to another per hour.

Such intensive artillery and explosions caused problems for nervous system of animals and some of them have been killed, some of them died from heart attack or brain attack and another disappeared, and they tried to save themselves.

We put in all cages water and at least 15 kilograms of food.

In this case, we guarantee that the dogs will alive even if something happen with us.

We understood that we must continue taking care of the animals every day.

We have absolutely opposite situation with another shelter in Borodyanka.

-Not far from Hostomel, a shelter in Borodyanka took a very different approach to their animals at the onset of war.

Before the war, this state-run shelter was home to over 400 dogs.

They were visited regularly by a dedicated group of volunteers.

Natalia Mazur is the director in charge of several state shelters, including the one in Borodyanka.

[ Dogs barking ] It wasn't until 45 days later that the volunteers were finally able to return to the shelter.

[ Dogs barking ] -Of course, they have a right to save themselves.

Of course!

But they have obligations and responsibilities for animals.

At least they must have food.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Across town from the Borodyanka shelter is a residential area completely destroyed by a Russian missile airstrike.

♪♪ ♪♪ -I was shooting in Borodyanka with Australian journalists, and we came to the infamous building in the central street.

About the 7th floor, I guess, I spotted something moving, like a tail waving from the 7th-floor level and I was like, "Stephen, Stephen, have a look.

There's an animal up there."

And he was like, "Kate, it's the 7th floor.

It's May 1st.

Come on, there's nothing that's alive there anymore."

So I zoomed in and I saw it's a cat.

And I was like, "That's a cat, Stephen."

He's like, "No, it's -- Oh [bleep] It's a cat!"

That was how it happened.

If it is alive, we need to help it, because you have to understand that the whole staircase from that part of the building was demolished.

So there was no chance for the animal to get down.

And that's when it all started.

And then it was all by ZooPatrol.

♪♪ [ Beeping ] But at that point of time, the process of saving an animal is not, like, this easy.

[ Conversing in foreign language ] That was like a real rescue operation and to be honest, I'm so proud of my country and my people.

I came to them and said, "Look, guys, I'm so grateful that having so much disaster and misery around you right now with people, you find time to help animals in such cases."

And he replied to me, "We don't care if it's an animal or a human being.

We're a rescue service and every life matters to us."

I mean, that was a point when you just start crying, you know.

-This was just the beginning because after that it was a long process of recovery.

She was very sick, very ill. She was in an oxygen box for a long time.

She needed a lot of medications.

-After being rescued, Dmitry posted photos of the cat, asking for name suggestions.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] -That was a building that was destroyed and the only thing that was holding on, on the wall was a little cabinet in the kitchen and in Ukrainian it's called "shafa."

So it was a symbol of being strong and not giving up in any situation when everything else is destroyed.

And they picked that name because in the middle of this destroyed building, the cat survived.

This is amazing because this also shows that Ukrainians care about animals.

During the war, they still want to rescue animals.

[ Woman speaking foreign language ] ♪♪ -Even remote wilderness areas are paying a price for the war.

Here in the Odessa region, on the shores of the Black Sea, Ukrainian scientists are monitoring the effects of war on this endangered ecosystem.

-There's been tremendous damage done to aquatic species and the aquatic environment itself within the Black Sea.

People have been very dismissive about non-human life and environmental damage.

-Some are starting to call it an ecological catastrophe.

Teams of scientists from all countries bordering the Black Sea, including Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, have been collecting data and testing for causes of death.

Approximately 5,000 dolphins have been found dead since the war started.

But the actual number of deaths is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

Today, a team of scientists monitored by a War Crimes Investigation Unit are looking into the cause of high mortality rates in marine mammals.

-It is alarming to know that there's a war-crime investigation going on in the Black Sea.

It's gonna take a lot of years to figure out how extreme the damage has been, and we need to think about environmental crimes in terms of suffering, in terms of death but also in terms of all species and biospheres.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Well, everyone knows about Patron.

[ Laughs ] -Who is the famous here right now in the country after the president?

-From medals of honor from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau... Patron has a lot of friends in high places, and everyone wants a chance to meet the most famous dog in Ukraine and probably in the world.

[ Crowd chanting "Patron" ] -When I think about him, on the media, I imagine him as a superhero.

-[ Barking ] [ Camera shutters clicking ] -Like a cartoon dog who's clearing up explosives.

It is super cool to present the real people and animals who are doing stuff to save our lives.

-Today is an important day because we have the first time in the history of UNICEF, announcing, "Goodwill AmbassaDog."

It's Patron.

-Globally, UNICEF has given this title to David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson, Messi and many others.

And now among them is dog Patron from Ukraine.

-He is known in protecting the children's lives from mine risks.

He's our partner in mine-risk education.

There are mines that make children life threatened.

[ Children exclaiming ] [ Patron barking ] -And when Patron is coming, their reaction is like, "Oh, my God!

He's here!

He will tell me something very important."

To me, Patron is the one who represents all the changes in our mood and behavior that we would like to see in children's life.

[ Patron barking ] [ Applause ] -Today Natalia and her team are loading up an entire truckload of rescue animals from various war zones in Ukraine and evacuating them to other countries.

-We are moving four adult lions, one Himalayan bear, one leopard cub, and four lion cubs.

It is absolutely not okay to have lions as pets.

It might seem okay when they're small.

When they're small, they're cute and they're easy to manage.

But they get bigger.

They are still very dangerous animals.

♪♪ In order to take care of these animals, you need so much land, so much food, and it's -- 99% of the time, people who have lions or bears or tigers as pets -- they are kept in terrible conditions.

They'll all be going to really nice sanctuaries where they'll have plenty of space, plenty of food, and plenty of time to be real animals.

♪♪ -Shafa is so famous because she has a grumpy face.

Yeah, it became like a meme.

[ Camera shutter clicking ] This is so eloquent because it tells how Ukrainians feel right now because of what Russians did.

This face became the symbol of strength, bravery, and annoyance by all the Russians who are here.

-Shafa became an influencer.

It's good If it brings up the topics of caring about animals, of not leaving them, not abandoning them.

Perfect!

♪♪ ♪♪ -Patients at Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital are under the care of Dr. Anastasya Markotan.

-[ Chuckles ] -[ Laughing ] -When we look at post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, what we're seeing -- and this is very much evidence-based -- animal companionship, particularly with dogs, is just this unconditional acceptance of human beings.

So there's almost no limits to how much support they can give.

[ Man speaking foreign language ] -War is a very inhumane thing.

If you're a soldier, your basic job is to kill another soldier.

It dehumanizes you a lot.

And I believe that a small dog or a cat, it kind of returns to you a part of your humanity.

It just returns to something -- a part of you who you used to be before the war started.

This is something about this unconditional love that you can provide and they can receive back and pets is some kind of a small bridge that connects them to these pieces of humanity that they still have in them.

-[ Laughs ] [ Patron barking ] ♪♪ -Ukrainians just care.

They care about our country, about our pets, about our people.

And this is what's important right now.

-Today is a very special day.

It's the opening of the ZooPatrol shelter.

-[ Speaking foreign language ] [ Applause ] -The press, VIP guests and supporters are here to celebrate this momentous event.

-When we think that we rescue animals, actually animals sometimes rescue us.

-I feel like Shafa built this shelter basically, just because of that story, you know, and people saw it.

That touched people and they said, "I want to help that cat."

♪♪ -What ZooPatrol does is something new to Ukraine.

Something new about animal-protection movement.

[ Dogs barking ] ♪♪ -This belief that our moral platform is no longer relevant in wartime is very dangerous.

We have to hang on to what our core values are.

And what I see in the Ukraine war is those core values often include compassion for non-human life.

-You can see the Ukraine lion pride jumping head over heels, excited to be featured on a live post as... ♪♪ ♪♪ -From our experience here in AAP Spain, we saw that not only humans are refugees from the war.

Also animals are refugees too.

During this last year, we received 11 lions from Ukraine.

Sometimes it's really difficult for people to understand.

It's like animals -- okay, yes, they are animals -- but their minds behave like ours when they have traumatic scenarios.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Okay, one, two, three.

Okay?

-His name is Bretzel.

He is like the worst case I've ever seen because he is an animal that arrived really stressed and really scared about everything.

[ Lion growls ] When we saw him the first time, he was full of injuries in his face.

His story is that he came from a place that was bombed and he was living in, like, a tiny cage.

So we think that he probably tried to escape somehow and he hit his face really hard.

[ Lion growls ] We could see that all the behaviors that he has is from a really bad situation.

At the beginning, he was responding really bad towards every movement, every sound.

He was pretty aggressive every time we came closer to him.

♪♪ Since two months, three months, we could see like a change in his behavior.

Now, I think that Bretzel is another lion totally.

You can see him, how he behaves, going around his enclosure, watching his neighbors.

How he behaves towards us.

He always finds new things in this outdoor that makes him behave like a proper lion.

Like sniffing around to find food, playing with the cardboard boxes that we put and it's like the curiosity of a feline is awake.

♪♪ -As the world sees how many Ukrainians have put, in many cases, their own lives on the line to protect and save animals, it really engenders a deeper kind of thinking in a lot of us as to how much this matters.

I think it's very moving.

I think it won't be lost on the younger generation or children.

It lets us know that we really have to think about how to protect animals in the future, in wartime, in emergency situations.

♪♪ [ Dogs barking ] [ Dogs barking ] -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ To learn more about what you've seen on this "Nature" program, visit PBS.org.

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