In Buryatia, deputies allowed the killing of stray dogs in shelters

In Buryatia, a law was passed that allows the killing of homeless animals a month after entering a state shelter, if they have not been found an owner.

If the animal has a chip or a token indicating the presence of the owner, but they cannot find him or he refuses to take the pet, he can be euthanized after two months, Semyon Matheev, the head of the “New People” faction in the Khural of Buryatia, explained to the “Vesty Buryatia” channel.

The draft law does not oblige dogs to be killed, but it states that after a month or two, shelters will stop receiving funding for the maintenance of dogs that have not found an owner.

The adopted law also includes a clause that will not allow sick or aggressive animals to be returned to their former habitats.

The law allows homeless animals to be placed not only in shelters, but also in temporary detention centers.

In these places, “Such Things” note, it will be possible to kill dogs and cats that are terminally ill, injured, infected with dangerous infections, show “unmotivated aggression”, and have already attacked a person.

The authorities of Stavropol and Magadan region are going to accept similar draft laws, the publication writes.

In July 2023, Russian regions received the right to independently decide what to do with homeless animals: to continue to implement the federal program OSVV (Catching – Sterilization – Vaccination – Return) or to approve their own methods. This happened against the background of regular appeals by regional authorities, in particular Siberia and the Far East, to allow the shooting or euthanasia of stray dogs.

According to experts, the killing of homeless animals contradicts the federal law on responsible treatment of animals. Among other things, the document enshrines the attitude towards animals as “beings capable of experiencing emotions and physical suffering” and prescribes “the education of the population in a moral and humane attitude towards them”.

• Animal rights activists, public and cultural figures actively spoke against the draft law allowing the killing of homeless animals. Protest actions were held in dozens of Russian cities, in Moscow protesters gathered several times near the presidential administration building. More than 140 thousand people signed the petition against the law.