In Tuva, it was allowed to kill stray dogs

The Supreme Khural of Tuva unanimously approved a draft law allowing the killing of stray dogs deemed “socially dangerous”.

The draft law allows to kill a homeless animal if it has “sustained aggressive behavior”. Such behavior must be established by a “specialist in the field of veterinary medicine,” the law states. Decisions about the fate of the animal will be made by a special commission. What kind of people it will consist of is not reported.

The law also provides for the “possibility of creating and using temporary animal shelters”.

Previously, the killing of stray animals was allowed in the Republic of Altai, Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Region, the Magadan Region, and Chukotka.

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.