An animal rescuer from Canberra has returned from Ukraine with horrific tales of the suffering there.
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Marcus Fillinger is an expert marksman with tranquilliser darts who went to the war zone to teach other animal lovers how to tranquilise zoo animals like lions and bears so they could be moved to safety.
But he also ended up treating injured animals caught in the crossfire of a brutal conflict.
"I spent a lot of time euthanising animals," he said.
One of the most disturbing scenes was a dairy farm where a rocket hat hit a shed.
"This shed had 130 cows in it and a lot of the cows were still alive," he said.
Much of his work was simply trying to feed the mass of stray cats and dogs - though he said some animals had been taken out of the country by other animal rescue groups.
The problem then was that families returned to their homes to find their pets missing.
"A lot animals were taken to the UK, so a lot of people are looking for their animals," he said.
He thought some of the animal rescuers who had descended on the war zone were "playing hero".
Mr Fillinger has a military background as a photographer with the RAAF.
His military experience helped keep him safe. He talks of "responsible fear" - knowing how to spot signs of danger.
"Being a military vet, you know what you are walking into. It keeps you alive," he said.
His animal rescue charity Alphadog Animal Army, on the outskirts of Canberra, rescued animals from the bushfires in 2019 and 2020.
He also campaigns against the culling of kangaroos, offering "ethical, affordable and sustainable alternatives to costly and brutal culling programs that occur around Australia".
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In Ukraine, his aim was to "assist other specialist animal rescue organisations to capture and remove war-affected animals from zoos and rescue shelters and provide transport to safety in Romania and Poland".
Despite his military background, he was shocked by the situation in Ukraine.
"With most conflicts, there's method but this was sheer chaos - just the absolute savagery and brutality of it," he said.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
