A man who devoted his life to rescuing animals in unsafe places has died in an unsafe place.

Jesse Adams, founder of Sooke-based RainCoast Dog Rescue, was killed Sunday in Ukraine, where he was saving people and animals by moving them away from towns and villages near the war’s front lines.

“We are heartbroken by the death of our friend and fellow rescuer, Jesse Adams—volunteer and founder of RainCoast Dog Rescue Society in Canada,” Ukraine-based Animal Rescue Kharkiv, with whom Adams was working, posted on social media. 

The volunteer group said Adams was helping to evacuate animals from Kramatorsk, a city near the front lines, when an enemy FPV drone attacked the vehicle he was in, which had just been loaded with rescued animals. 

“Jesse sustained severe injuries and was immediately taken to a local hospital,” it said. “Doctors performed resuscitation efforts and emergency surgery, but tragically, despite their best efforts, they were unable to save his life.”

“We are grateful for the time we had with him, for his courage, and for every life he helped us save,” the group said.

Adams founded RainCoast Dog Rescue in 2014, and the registered charity took him around the world on missions to rescue abandoned and abused dogs and cats.

“When someone travels halfway around the world and chooses to work beside you in some of the most difficult conditions, it means more than words can say,” Animal Rescue Kharkiv said.

“There are hundreds of animals alive today because of him.”

In dangerous places in the Donbas region

In an interview published by the Black Press last July, Adams talked about his work in Ukraine, where he and two other Victorians were teaming with Animal Rescue Kharkiv to help transport animals out of “some of the most dangerous communities in the Donbas region.”

“Sadly, some of these people have been killed, and their animals are still there on the properties or in the house, trapped… and we go in to get them out,” he told the Black Press.

Adams said his team would conduct five missions every week, which saved as many as 30 to 60 animals each time. He estimated their efforts helped rescue between 700 and 1K animals—mostly dogs and cats, although there were a few goats, hedgehogs and turtles—that also got their attention.

This was Adams' third trip to Ukraine, having first travelled there to help transport animals across the border into other countries in 2022, following the initial Russian invasion.

He told the Black Press his Ukrainian heritage and military training played a role, but it was his love of animals that brought him to Ukraine.

Fellow animal advocates express sadness, gratitude

“We join the rescue and animal-loving community in grieving the loss of Jesse Adams,” the BC Animal Law Reform Coalition said in an email to Capital Daily.

“He was the epitome of a voice for the voiceless and a true hero for vulnerable animals. Jesse shared his stories with such sincerity and passion; he will forever be a leader and guiding star for all of us working to help rescue animals.”

The Victoria Humane Society praised Adams for making “the ultimate sacrifice to his beliefs” on the front lines of Ukraine.

“Our hearts break with everyone grieving the loss of Jesse. We are holding his loved ones, the RainCoast team, and all the lives he touched close in our thoughts.”

The animals he helped and the people whose lives he touched will be part of his legacy, the Victoria Cat Rescue Corps Society said.

“Rest in peace, Jesse. Thank you for everything you did for the animals who had no one else to turn to. You will not be forgotten.”

Petition started

As the region’s animal-rescue community mourned, a petition was started on change.org to try to build momentum to honour Adams posthumously with the Order of Canada. 

“Our heroes deserve recognition, and Jesse's extraordinary legacy exemplifies the very virtues that the Order of Canada honours: courage, sacrifice, and altruism,” the petition reads. 

“Recognising Jesse posthumously with the Order of Canada isn’t just about acknowledging his bravery and compassion; it’s about inspiring others to follow in his footsteps and continue the fight for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

However, the Order of Canada is awarded only to living citizens; there are no posthumous appointments.