The processing of applications from applicants to win the international contest for Russian-language media “By Pen and Heart”, which is held within the framework of the “My Affectionate and Necessary Animal” award, has been completed.

All the nominees for the sixth season have been determined!

Dear friends, according to tradition, at midnight on January 15, the acceptance of applications from candidates and their associates for the International Award “My Affectionate and Necessary Animal” and the International Award for Russian-speaking bloggers and media “By Pen and Heart” ended.

The sixth season has once again confirmed that the popularity of our good project is growing from year to year, and the army of associates is expanding.

In the nomination “Our Brothers” for the International Award “My affectionate and necessary animal” 20 candidates from 11 regions of our country, as well as from three countries of the world - Portugal, Great Britain and Belarus - claim to win.

Among the applicants, the selfless and wise dogs and cats were competing with the equally selfless and wise hippopotamus, albino python and even bats.  Each of the contenders has in one way or another given us - the people a personal lesson in loyalty, devotion and selfless love.

38 noble and courageous animal rights activists from 28 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as 8 foreign nominees from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Argentina and the Netherlands were declared in the nomination "Responsible for those ...". There are 44 candidates in total.

Through their actions, these people have brought harmony to the world around them, saving dogs, cats, horses, rare birds, turtles, orcas, whales, swans, cows, camels, cubs, wild cats, moose and deer. They all helped their younger brothers at the call of their hearts, and not for the sake of prizes and awards.

In the international contest “By Pen and Heart” among representatives of Russian-language media and bloggers writing in Russian, we have another record. Not only in terms of the number of participants, but also in terms of geography - more than 400 applications were received from 8 countries and more than 60 regions of Russia.

The latest applications are currently being processed, and detailed information will be posted on our website later.

In the very near future the list of candidates will be sent to the arbitrators, and at the very beginning of March we will announce the results of their consolidated work.

But by tradition, besides the arbitrators, you - supporters of the applicants and just supporters of our good project - can choose the winners in two categories of the “My Affectionate and Necessary Animal” Award.

The "Popular's vote" among Internet users starts on Monday, January 20. We will tell you in detail about the terms and rules of the Popular Vote very soon! Follow the news.

The center is located in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Volunteers have been involved in the rescue and treatment of wild animals and birds for more than seven years. Zoobishkek is not a zoo or a commercial project. It's more like a team of enthusiasts who believe that every life on the planet is important.

Once four red-billed saker falcons were brought here. The birds were smuggled in the 35-degree heat in the paneling of a car. They were practically dying, severely dehydrated, and had been tied up with ropes for a long time. The team of keepers nursed the birds for more than a month and the result was worth it.

“We ringed the fully healthy unique birds, put GPS sensors on them and together with journalists, government agencies and law enforcement officers released them into the wild. Now, together with the center's ornithologist, we can follow their movements and rejoice that the falcons are doing well in the wild,” says Vladislav Shevchenko, director of the ZooBishkek rehabilitation center.

The Zoobishkek volunteers have another major victory. In late November 2024, a lioness was dropped off at the center in extremely serious condition, with a complete bowel obstruction, arthritis, and an ear infection. Andrey Shevchenko, the center's chief animal technician, took over her care. He settled her in his workhouse. Emergency vet calls, tons of exams, long and complicated food selection, finding rare and life-saving medications, buying the right machinery to grind her quail meat with bones.

“Andrew himself has been traumatized more than once, because every day he massaged his pet's belly, helped her to go to the toilet, drank from a spoon, carried her in his arms when she couldn't stand up, took her out to breathe fresh air, fed her every three hours and almost all the time was confined to her bed,” continues the director of the rehabilitation center. 

The chief zoo technician of Zoobishkek named his adopted daughter Leia. After two months of treatment, veterinarians from Russia and Kyrgyzstan assessed her appearance and health status as a "minor miracle." The lioness gained almost 7 kilograms, goes to the toilet every day, studies the world around her and has become incredibly active. Now volunteers are considering the possibility of transferring the lioness to one of the Russian reserves.

"For many years now, we have been maintaining a huge center almost at our own expense.  Yes, there is a small entrance fee, which even in the best years in season did not cover even 30% of the total costs. And even more so in 2024 - the park in which we are based was closed for reconstruction," Vladislav Shevchenko said.

He told Radio Sputnik Kyrgyzstan that the main problem is the relocation of the economic part. And it so happened that now it is the center itself that needs help, because within the framework of reconstruction of the park “Asanbai”, where the center is located, volunteers have to essentially rebuild part of the outbuildings for the pets.

"Each of our pets has a difficult fate, almost all animals and birds came to us injured or exhausted, they needed treatment and acceptable conditions of detention. A new construction site in the center is a lot of money. We need building materials, animal feed, and just free hands and caring hearts," the source said in an interview with reporters.

In the capital of Kyrgyzstan, "Zoobishkek" is known and constantly brings hedgehogs, squirrels, turtles, rare birds and injured wild animals to volunteers. They try not to refuse anyone here. Injured animals and birds are treated, operated on, rehabilitated if necessary, and subsequently released into the wild.

But not everyone can be released into the wild. For those tailed animals who can no longer survive on their own in the wild, the center's volunteers provide shelter, their care, warmth and three meals a day.

Photos of the Zoobishkek rehabilitation center.

Violetta Polkovnikova lives in the small Siberian village of Novaya Igirma, near the Ilim River, a tributary of the Angara. She is eleven years old, but the young lady has more than one campaign to raise funds for the purchase of animal feed. The girl does not pass by the cats and dogs left on the street. Which is important for Siberian regions, because in harsh weather conditions it is very important not to leave animals to freeze.  

"Since childhood, Violetta has been distinguished from other children by her kindness and compassion for those who needed help. Every day, going for a walk after school, my daughter takes food, bread and other treats with her and goes to feed all the stray animals in the neighborhood,” says Violetta's mother Irina Polkovnikova.

According to Irina, an example of such a kind attitude to animals was her father, who 12 years ago, coming home from work at night, heard a tiny squeak in a snowdrift. The package beeped. When he got closer, he found a small red kitten in it, which someone had thrown into a snowdrift in winter, unable to survive. It was a harsh Siberian winter outside at that moment, the temperature was 45 degrees below zero.

Since then, the red lump, which with difficulty managed to get out, lives in the Polkovnikov family, and children always remember this good story with interest and warmth.

Later, the family repeatedly rescued abandoned animals, including not only dogs and cats, but also birds. For example, in early spring Violetta found a very tiny tit chick on the street, which apparently fell out of the nest when there was a strong gusty wind and heavy rain outside.

"For more than two months, the whole family nursed him back to health: we fed him with tweezers every hour, bathed him, and taught him how to fly. When the chick got stronger, they set it free. A little later Violetta rescued a pigeon from a dog's mouth, and later she saved an injured skylark,” continues Irina Polkovnikova.

And one summer the family found five puppies thrown away at the village dump, they could not abandon them, they had to rescue them. Then there were the discarded puppies in the woods outside the village. All attempts to capture the unfortunate animals were unsuccessful, so now Violetta and her parents go to feed them every evening. Dogs every day happily meet their rescuers, but they do not let them close to them, because apparently they are very much offended by humans. There are a lot of similar stories about saved animal lives in Violetta's family.

"My daughter is always coming up with something. We recently organized a charity event at the local recreation center. Violetta walked around the school, offering classmates to help the animals, raise money for food or buy it and feed the homeless. And we're helping her," Mom says.

On a regular basis Violetta provides various kinds of assistance to the school wildlife corner, helping both by physical labor and financially by purchasing food. By the way, Violetta never spares money and is always very happy to spend the savings of her piggy bank on animals," her parents say. 

A fifth-grader also installs bird feeders on the balcony in winter. And in the forest near the village, together with her parents, she installed rodent feeders, which she fills with delicious and healthy treats every week.

Violetta Polkovnikova sincerely believes that everyone living on this earth deserves love and care, regardless of whether they are human or animal. When she grows up, the girl dreams of becoming a veterinarian and opening a large shelter for homeless and animals in difficult situations.

Photos from the personal archive of the Polkovnikov family.