The wild fox from Athena-TV is NOT a toy — send him to an animal rehabilitation center!
Since the release date of the first video on April 17 of this year (that is, several weeks already), the fox cub does not receive proper care and is systematically exposed to stress. Most of the time he spends in a small cage without a tray, when taken on walks - he is restricted by a short harness. Instead of receiving food suitable for foxes, the cub is fed with dog food, which can lead to serious health issues. During filming, the fox is continuously forced to stay in frame, grabbed roughly by the throat and turned over after eating.
Julia (ukr. — Yulia) Prischepa, who has no experience in caring for foxes at home, refuses to follow the advice and recommendations she receives from experienced fox breeders and employees of wildlife rehabilitation centres. Moreover, Julia Prischepa claimed in one of the videos on YouTube, that the animal would not be sent to a rehabilitation center; instead, their family has decided to keep him as a pet. This is a VIOLATION of Ukrainian legislation.
Until
recently, Julia Prischepa used to run a cattery of Scottish breed cats
"Athena". Over time, the nursery developed a bad reputation among
professional breeders and was closed down. Julia and her husband, apparently to
disguise their real intentions, devoted themselves to helping homeless animals.
However, a detailed analysis of their «Athena-TV, Cat Paradise» (in rus.),
«Rescue Animals», and «Sweety Kitty» channels demonstrate, that their animal
rescue is staged. The same puppies and kittens appear in different stories.
These animals are often intentionally put at risk: clutched between tractor
wheels, squeezed into narrow slots or pipes, entangled in nets. Their suffering
and pain, captured on camera, is used in a manipulative way to evoke an
emotional response from audience, and NOT to promote a truly humane attitude to
animals. After their appearance in one or more videos, these supposedly saved
animals disappear into the unknown, with no reliable information available
about their fate.
Currently,
the delivery of wild animal rights protection, consolidated in the legislation
of Ukraine, leaves much to be desired. The little fox cub has become a hostage of this situation, and the situation itself needs to be broadcasted.
We, Maria Rusanova (citizen of
Sweden) and Ksenia Sysoliatina (citizen of Ukraine), as well as a group of
worried citizens from around the world, demand the following actions from the
State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine (https://dei.gov.ua/) and the
Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Committee on issues of environmental policy and
environmental management:
1.
Initiate an inspection to establish, whether the activities of Yulia Prischepa
are in compliance with Ukrainian legislation and animal rights, regarding not
only the fox, but her dogs and cats as well.
2.
Transfer the fox cub to a rehabilitation centre for wild animals, where he will
receive all the necessary assistance and his future fate will be decided by
zoologists along with other experts.
In
addition to international support, many Ukrainian animal rights activists
support our initiative. In particular, «VO Zoopatrol» (founder Julia Trusanova)
and the Internet channel «First Ukrainian Animal Rights Channel» (activist
Michael Marchenko) are liaising with the state authorities of Ukraine in order
to address the problem.
SUPPORT
THE JOINT EFFORTS OF ANIMAL RIGHTS DEFENDERS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES - SIGN THIS
PETITION TO BE REMITTED TO UKRAINIAN OFFICERS AND POLITICIANS. YOUR VOICE
MATTERS!
Same
petition in Russian, link: https://www.change.org/Spasite_Lisenka