‘Hero to animals’: Drone kills B.C. dog rescuer Jesse Adams in Ukraine

A Ukraine-based animal rescue organization says a Canadian volunteer in the war-torn country has been killed in a drone attack.

Animal Rescue Kharkiv says Jesse Adams, founder of RainCoast Dog Rescue Society on Vancouver Island, died on Sunday after the “enemy drone” struck his vehicle as it was evacuating animals from Kramatorsk, close to the front line in the war with Russia.

A separate news release from SPCA International says Adams died while working to protect animals in one of the most dangerous regions in Ukraine.

It calls Adams a “hero to animals,” and says he had “endless energy, enthusiasm and compassion for making the world a kinder place.”

Animal Rescue Kharkiv says Adams was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but could not be saved.

The organization says it was an honour to work alongside Adams.

“Jesse joined our teams at Animal Rescue Kharkiv, travelling to front-line communities to save animals and help people,” it says in a social media post on Monday.

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

In 2014, Adams co-founded the RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, a charity run by volunteers to help animals across Canada and abroad.

Canadian animal welfare groups shared condolences for Adams.

The BC Animal Law Reform Coalition said in a statement that Adams had a “selfless determination and energy” to save dogs from all corners of B.C., often in “dire circumstances.”

Northern Hope Dog Rescue Society said in a statement that Adams was their friend and “brother in rescue.”

It said Adams was the person “you could call when you needed help on a mission (who would) share the burden or simply be a shoulder to lean on when the weight of the work became too much.”

In a social media post dated Oct. 23, Adams said he was involved in an evacuation mission at a small village outside Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, “super close to the front line of the war.”

Adams said he was helping a family to evacuate their animals from an area that was being hit daily by drones, bombs and missiles.

He said that when they arrived and started to load cows, dogs, cats and a pig into a van, a drone hit a nearby house.

SPCA International said they were fortunate to call Adams their friend and to have worked alongside him on animal rescue efforts around the world.

“There was never an animal who Jesse would refuse to save, no matter the circumstances,” their statement said. “We will never forget the hope he brought to animals and people facing their darkest moments.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2026.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press