Zabaykalsky Krai authorities set criteria for euthanizing stray dogs
An extraordinary situation due to stray dogs in Zabaykalsky Krai can be declared for one of five reasons, including a disease outbreak, human death, attack on a child, appearance of packs, and a twofold increase in attacks on people. The regulation on this was adopted by the regional government on January 21.
The document establishes five criteria for declaring a special situation with stray animals in Zabaykalsky Krai:
quarantine due to diseases that stray animals can carry;
human death due to an attack by stray animals, recorded by employees of Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing), medics, or police;
dog attack on a child;
appearance of packs of four or more stray dogs near social facilities — schools, hospitals, cultural institutions, and multifunctional centers (MFCs) or in residential areas. A dog pack can become a reason for declaring a special situation if it appears in a place where an attack on a human has already occurred;
the number of attacks by stray animals on people has doubled in a quarter, with at least 0.025% of the residents of that territory affected.
The extraordinary situation can be declared across the entire Zabaykalsky Krai, in a separate municipal district, or in a settlement.
After the situation is declared, the government initiates the capture of dogs, including sterilized and tagged ones. Information about dogs placed in temporary holding facilities (THFs) must be posted on the THF website within two days. Animals not transferred to old or new owners will be euthanized after 14 days using «humane methods that guarantee a quick and painless death.»
The Zabaykalsky Legislative Assembly in September passed a law allowing the euthanasia of stray dogs. The bill was intended to be considered in May, but was removed from the meeting agenda due to a protest from the prosecutor«s office. Since October, the concept of »extraordinary situation in the handling of ownerless animals« has been established in the krai.
