The Ukrainian refugee crisis: Unpacking the politics of pet exceptionalism
| Published date | 01 August 2023 |
| Author | Kristin Bergtora Sandvik |
| Date | 01 August 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13100 |
1University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
2PRIO, Oslo, Norway
Correspondence
Kristin Bergtora Sandvik University of Oslo,
P.O box 6706, St. Olavs plass, 0130 Oslo,
Norway.
Email: k.b.sandvik@jus.uio.no
Funding information
Norges Forskningsråd; the Research Council
Abstract
The rescue of pets soon became part of the humanitarian
narrative of the attack on Ukraine. The open-door policy on
companion animals from Ukraine—a high-risk country for
rabies—in terms of regulatory modifications and the provi-
sion of services could be described as one of ‘pet excep-
tionalism’. While the influx of pets and the response to it
has significance for the international refugee regime, there
has been scant scholarly engagement with the movement of
pets across borders during emergencies. To bridge academic
knowledge gaps and suggest policy lessons, the article
discusses how the management of the Ukraine pet influx
fits with existing regulatory regimes and policy priorities
governing companion animals, and the tensions involved.
Drawing on a 6-month desk study (March–August 2022)—
the article considers the events, interactions and policy
choices which shape how companion animals are received.
Using the UK and Norway as examples, it suggests that the
aim of the resources and procedures directed at caring for
pets and helping owners is pragmatic—to safeguard biose-
curity and enforce regulations while also protecting animal
health and psychosocial well-being. The term ‘pet civic
consciousness’ is used to consider the notion of pets as
family members, and how trust in government and under-
standings of biosecurity and regulatory requirements are
filtered through cultural and linguistic lenses. The article
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Ukrainian refugee crisis: Unpacking the
politics of pet exceptionalism
Kristin Bergtora Sandvik1,2
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13100
Received: 2 September 2022 Revised: 16 November 2022 Accepted: 20 November 2022
292
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits
use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or
adaptations are made.
© 2022 The Authors. International Migration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Organization for Migration.
Int Migr. 2023;61:292–304.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
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