Orangeville resident rescues animals in Ukraine
Emotions run high as Orangeville resident Nishan Kooner reflects on his recent trip to Ukraine.
Kooner spent two weeks in the war-torn country, working to save abandoned animals.
"Right now, the most we can do is help," says tearful Kooner.
Kooner has been volunteering with a group called Breaking the Chain, bringing animals to shelters in Romania.
Kooner and his wife, Chantel Ramnanan, own 10 and 10 Garden Centre in the town of Mono.
So far, they have rescued over 1000 animals.
"Mostly dogs, quite a bit of cats. Directly, our group has helped with a lion, grizzly bear, and we're working on a gorilla"," says Kooner.
Kooner has a passion for helping animals and people, and knew immediately he wanted to do his part to help.
"To be honest with you, it's tough work. But I'm pretty proud of him," says his father, Jasbir Kooner.
"Seeing these animals in the conditions they're in, it's just.. I don't know how it's going to impact him," says his wife, Chantel Ramnanan. "That's a little bit scary, but I'm very, very proud of him."
Kooner says without experiencing the situation in Ukraine firsthand, it's hard to understand the horrifying reality.
"I didn't see carnage," Kooner says. "I didn't see anything like that, but I did see people preparing for war. I did see a lot of military checkpoints. I saw a lot of people with weapons, cities that were shelled. I saw what you'd be scared to see," he adds.
He has been raising funds through a silent auction that will last through the weekend. So far, they've raised over $8000. The money is being used for various costs.
"Sending out supplies to shelters in areas that are cut off and bringing animals out that are in desperate need of medical attention," says Kooner.
Kooner will be heading back to Ukraine on Wednesday for another two weeks.
He says this time they will be going even deeper into Ukraine to find more animals to save.
He urges anyone that can help to do so. To find out how to donate, visit their Facebook page.
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