The fewer homeless animals that roam the streets of a big city the better. Experience has shown that it’s next to impossible for a shelter to accommodate all the homeless dogs and cats in Kyiv. The battle against “redundant” animals is fought in different ways, often with euthanasia.
Now an alternative that is expected to satisfy both animal rights’ defenders and homeless animals has been found in the Environmental Protection Department. The Kyiv municipal government has also set about solving this problem. In the last month Deputy Mayor Irena Kilchytska has held two major conferences with directors of communal enterprises and civic organizations concerned about the fauna roaming the streets of our capital city.
As always, an implacable struggle is being waged between animal shelters and civic organizations. The latter are extremely dissatisfied with the conditions in which animals live in shelters, as well as with the euthanasia methods used at certain city institutions. City councilmen and directors of shelters deny accusations of cruelty against animals, arguing that all the pharmaceuticals used for killing animals are not only officially registered but authorized for use in Ukraine. Animals in the shelters die quickly and painlessly, according to them.
But killing animals is not a solution, all interested parties agree. But Kyiv is still unable to follow the European Union’s example of catching animals and keeping them in comfortable conditions for the rest of their lives. That’s why the Environmental Protection Department, together with civic organizations, has finally formulated a concept and mechanisms for returning sterilized animals to the streets.
“After being sterilized, the animal will be treated in a veterinary clinic for several days,” says Mykola Illinsky, deputy chief of the Environmental Protection Department. “Before an animal is released to the streets a contract about its upkeep will be signed with volunteers of civic organizations. If, say, a kind-hearted granny feeds a dog in her yard, she should be allowed to, but on the basis of the contract.” That way, homeless animals will be reintroduced into their urban habitat exclusively through the public organizations that for years have been protecting those homeless creatures and fighting for their rights.
Illinsky notes that this so-called transitional form of caring for homeless animals has proven successful in many countries. In future, if the project develops successfully, volunteers will receive food for cats and dogs. It’s still not clear what sort of contract volunteers are supposed to sign, or whether they will be paid, or what their responsibility will be in case the animal in their charge is spotted in another city district. Those details will be finalized by the Environmental Protection Department within a week or two.
The highest city authorities have also made a step towards animals. All animal shelters have to open their doors to the media. Kyiv’s deputy mayor also announced the creation of a joint commission formed of municipal services and civic organizations to inspect shelters’ activities and develop new methods of dealing with animals. So, there is a good chance that the situation with homeless animals in Kyiv will be settled in a civilized way.
“We can catch all the animals, even put them into shelters, give them away to people, or euthanize all of them. But their habitat will not remain empty for long — animals from the suburbs will come to Kyiv to live and forage,” Illinsky says.
There should not be animals that don’t belong anywhere in the city. Unlike domestic pets, they are not inspected by veterinarians, and they spread diseases dangerous to humans. The number of homeless animals is also increasing because some irresponsible owners put their pets’ litters on the streets. Kyiv residents who keep dogs or cats at home should be reminded that they can prevent their pets from reproducing by sterilizing them at any veterinary clinic. War veterans, disabled individuals of the first and second categories, and Chornobyl liquidators can have their pets sterilized for free at state clinics.
