Russia has always struggled with the problem of irresponsible pet-owners and the huge number of stray animals (dogs and cats) living on the streets and was never famous as a country that actively promotes a caring attitude towards animals. Nevertheless, a Federal Law on animal protection (No. 498-FZ “On responsible treatment of animals”) was officially published in 2018 and finally came into full force in 2020. The law does clearly specify which measures employ for the good treatment and management of stray animals, including building shelters, catching and keeping them in kennels in order to cure, vaccinate and neuter, releasing them back to their previous habitats (TNVR programme) and other actions targeted to decrease the number of animals without hurting any of them.
Unfortunately, law provisions haven’t been followed completely in some local administrations, reaching its peak level in the city of Yakutsk in the North-Eastern Region of Sakha Republic. Since the aforementioned law was published, the City Administration hasn’t put any efforts to build new shelters or employ any other of the measures and actions stated. In order to cover their breaches and try to decrease faster the number of stray animals on the territory, local officials gave order to brutally kill with shovels hundreds of dogs and cats in the biggest municipal shelter in March 2020. The official reason that was publicly given was the spread of a rabies epidemic, but further investigation proved there were no sign of rabies disease inside the shelter, and until now nobody has never been accused and arrested for this mass killing.
After the publication of Law No. 498-FZ, the number of registered cases of dog attacks on people throughout Russia has decreased, except for the city of Yakutsk. Despite that, local administration continues to publicly declare that these data are incorrect affirming that such numbers are growing all over Russia.
Last December, a tragedy happened when a woman was attacked by a pack of stray dogs while walking in an abandoned secluded area of the city. Unfortunately, the lady died but it was confirmed by the ambulance service that her death was due to natural causes and just only after her death dogs started to bite her because of hunger. Yakutsk administration interpreted this case as a display of dogs’ hostility towards people. The mayor of Yakutsk issued an order prohibiting people to feed stray animals and condemning them to suffer from hunger in the freezing cold weather (with temperatures reaching -50° degrees). Animals, without food, have just followed their natural instinct to survive, but these episodes are used as a trigger to generate hatred towards dogs and redirect attention from the main culprit. The city of Yakutsk, as many other cities in Russia, received state funds to prevent such cases and keep controlled the increasing number of strays, that means keep animals in shelters or neutered, vaccinated and released them back.
The day after the tragedy, the mayor of Yakutsk declared the “state of emergency” mobilizing several patrol groups to capture all stray dogs. It was officially announced that animals should have been caught and transferred to dog kennels, but unofficially dogs have been, and still are, shot and killed (in violation of the Law signed by the President of Russian Federation). Only some of stray dogs reach kennels, while the majority died with bullet holes in their heads and their carcasses lay on streets drained in blood. Furthermore, administration asks people to report dogs’ location to authorities and citizens for each dog shot and killed can get a reward of 1500 RUB.
As you can see from the video at the bottom the process of capturing and transferring animals to the kennels is also very cruel and barbaric. This is an example of dog trap: a female dog in heat is placed inside a cage, with food near it. The cage is surrounded by a fence that has as only exit a small hole with sharp steel plates on its edges bent inwards. It is expected that male dogs feeling the presence of the female, do go inside the trap, but once nside they won’t be able to get out without badly hurting themselves. Female dog is kept inside the cage for the whole day in very cold weather (40° – 50° below zero), and is taken to the kennel only in the evening.
Other examples of traps include wires: dogs get caught in them and injure themselves, start bleeding. After that, all captured dogs are taken to a newly and hastily constructed dog kennels and receive no medical treatment, and even no water.
Yakutsk animal rights activists have to go there everyday to give these dogs food and water in order to survive.
Almost all dogs have being killed, no matter if previously neutered, if they are puppies or mother pregnant or that are feeding puppies. These episodes happened because the law “On responsible treatment of animals” is not correctly applied here. Dogs are not guilty! The majority of homeless dogs have never had a good life or a loving owner and they struggle every day not to freeze or starve to death. They are hunted and killed with no mercy by people who enjoy see the suffering of other living being. The administration of Yakusk prefer to use dog hunters to kill strays rather than to apply a correct and ethical TNVR programme, build new shelters and create better sanitary conditions in existing shelters.
All animal rights activists and animal lovers in Russia are truly devastated by the loss of humanity that can be observed in Yakutsk nowadays. It is time to raise awareness about the gruesome reality of animal treatment. These animals continue to die from hunger, cold and now also because they are brutally killed with no reason.
OIPA wrote to the district administration of the city of Yakutsk asking to apply all ethical measures and actions clearly stated in No. 498-FZ Law.
