The nomination "Responsible for those...": Evgenia Manzheleevskaya created an animal shelter and maintains it with her own money.
Together with her husband, they bought a half-hectare plot of land in the small village of Novoe Vasilevka, near Tolyatti. That's where they opened a mini-shelter for all underprivileged animals. Although they initially started with a small stable, where the first rescued horse was brought.
Then the great story of the mare Happy happened, and with great difficulty, the volunteers were able to buy her back from one of the slaughterhouses in Ryazan. The horse had a huge tumor on its leg, and its fate was unenviable. But Evgenia and her colleagues did not give up, by hook or by crook they were looking for solutions to take the mare to themselves.
Now Happy lives happily in a Tolyatti orphanage, and only small scars remain from her bump on her leg. According to animal rights activists, Happy is the soul of the whole shelter, a very kind and caring horse.
But horses are not the only guests of the shelter. Evgenia and her family had everything on their list of survivors: roe deer, ferrets, foxes, raccoons, chinchillas, turtles, wild birds, and even a cow. Many animals come to the shelter severely injured, and if necessary, volunteers send them to veterinary clinics for surgery and care. If there are no owners, they are usually left here at the Sarmat shelter.
And more recently, the first experience of nursing an ostrich calf was gained here, KP – Samara writes. He was found in the Ulyanovsk region, in the forest. The baby ostrich was in a box.
"It is unknown how long the ostrich spent in the forest. But it managed to catch a cold, as the nights are cold. He had a frequent "bird" problem - poor nutrition and lack of calcium caused the joints to twist sideways. Because of this, the baby bird cannot stand. Such a foot problem, as doctors say, cannot be treated. This could be the reason to get rid of the baby. The way its owners took advantage of it is shocking. Baby ostrich was doomed to die of hunger and cold," said Evgenia Manzheleevskaya.
The Sarmat Shelter currently has two working departments: a small one for stallions, rodents and exotic animals, and a main department for mares and geldings. The second, main department also has a place for the rehabilitation of wild animals and birds," the volunteers said. At the moment, there are 19 horses living in the shelter, 15 of which do not carry a riding load. These horses are either very elderly, or with various kinds of health problems.
It is noteworthy that the shelter exists solely on the money of volunteers. The fees here are only for the purchase of hay, when they cannot cope on their own, or for the urgent purchase of a sick animal that is being prepared for slaughter. And there are always guided tours for children. Moreover, the owners of the shelter do this not for money, but for free. In the hope that caring visitors will be imbued with the stories of tailed, shaggy or graceful bay guests, and will take them to themselves or take care of them.
Photos of KP – Samara and from the personal archive of Evgenia Manzheleevskaya.