Greece will transport more than 11 tons of pet food from Kalochori in Thessaloniki to the Polish-Ukrainian border, where war-fleeing refugees reside in hosting facilities with their beloved cats, dogs, and rabbits.
The initiative was organised by Greek Ministry of Interior and the Hellenic Veterinary Association (HVA) in co-ordination with two pet food producers who were the major donors of the initiative.
At Kalochori on Wednesday, Alternate Interior Minister Stelios Petsas met with HVA President and also President of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) Athina Trachili, in the presence of the head of the Prime Minister’s Thessaloniki office Maria Antoniou.
Trachili and HVA vice-president Giorgos Charlabakis will both accompany the mission to its final destination, a make-shift veterinary center which welcomes the pets of Ukrainian refugees.
HVA has also appealed to veterinarians to treat free of charge the pets of Ukrainian refugees who arrive in Greece, and a list of nearly 100 vet centers providing free services has been distributed to the embassy of Ukraine and relevant Greek ministries. In addition, volunteering vets will travel to the Greece-Bulgaria border of Promahonas and to facilities hosting refugees to examine and treat refugees' pets.
