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Euthanasia of Stray Animals Permitted Under New Russian Law

Black dog against white snow in Russia. Russia recently passed a law allowing regions to authority to carry out mass euthanasia of stray animals.

A new law passed in Russia permits different regions of the large country the authority to create their own strategies for handling homeless animal populations. This includes mass euthanasia of animals, which has led to concern among Animal rights activists. These activists say the new law, signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 24, will allow inhumane, mass killings to take place. One animal activist points out that in many areas, the term “euthanasia” does not equate to a humane death. Rather, she fears that the areas will not have, or be unwilling to spend, money on providing stray animals a peaceful passing and will instead dispatch these creatures through cruel and barbaric methods.

This fear is justified. In the city of Yakutsk, over 200 animals were discovered in a local shelter with their throats slit. The city officials claimed that this mass killing was done to control an outbreak of rabies. However, activists believe this act of cruelty was carried out to save money on shelter expenses. The mayor of Yakutsk at the time was Sardana Avksentieva, who was the first to present a draft of the law that allows mass euthanasia.

Leaders from other regions lent Support to the law following the death of an eight-year-old boy in Orenburg after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs. Attacks by stray animals have also been reported in other regions. However, one volunteer named Elena Rudenko, states that in her decade of work with stray dogs, she has only ever encountered a few aggressive animals. Additionally, she believes that this aggression was fear-based.

Animal rights activists argue that the new law is a “death sentence” for many creatures. Already Alexei Tsydenov, who is the head of Buryatia, has enacted new policies in the region. In Buryatia, stray dogs will now be kept in shelters for a set period. If they are not adopted or claimed by owners during that time, they will be euthanized.

This is not the first time Russia has drawn criticism for policies surrounding homeless animals. In 2018, the country received backlash following horrific reports that detailed Russia’s killing of street dogs in preparation for the World Cup. A similar horrific culling of homeless animals occurred in the lead-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Horrific reports of Russian troops’ treatment of animals in the Ukraine have also sparked outrage.

There are up to 4.1 million stray animals in Russia. The majority of those animals are cats and dogs. Supporters of the new law hope that it will help control these populations. However, the World Veterinary Association advises that euthanasia is not an effective means of population control for stray dogs. Instead, activists say that Russia should follow best practices that would result in a more effective and humane way to handle the stray animal crisis. These include trapping, vaccinating, and neutering homeless animals.

Sign this petition to Ban the Killing of Street Dogs and Cats!