On January 25, Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Commission on Regulations and Questions of Deputy Ethics of the Legislative Assembly of the Trans-Baikal Region, in an interview for the IA «Chita.Ru» stated that stray dogs and zoo defenders need the death penalty. All this happened against the backdrop of the little girl’s death.
What was “before”?
On 22 January, a seven-year-old girl from the village of Domna died. She was reported missing at around 5:00 p.m., and half an hour later, the little girl was found dead on a wasteland. Numerous bites were found on the girl’s body, left by stray dogs and incompatible with life. Even before the New Year’s holidays, residents of Domna complained about the large number of homeless animals attacking passers-by.
At the beginning of 2021, the Irkutsk company “Five Stars” won the auction, thanks to which the district received 1.6 million roubles, which was enough to capture and sterilize 145 dogs. The remaining homeless dogs after the girl’s death are planned to be caught and taken to the shelter, which now has 250 places out of 35 available.
What did the deputy say?
In his speech, Aleksandr Mikhailov said that in his village childhood, stray dogs were “shot and the skins were used for ounts”. The deputy also complained that an average of thirty thousand roubles is allocated for catching and sterilizing dogs.
“We spend a lot of money on treating dogs, but we can’t treat children at the expense of the budget. Zookeepers also better help sick children or engage in other useful activities„, – comments Alexander Mikhailov.
The deputy also called the animal rights defenders a “foreign project” set up to prey on Russians with the help of dogs. He suggested introducing the death penalty for the above- mentioned if they do not allow stray dogs to be “eliminated”.
What was “after”?
After a storm of public reaction, Alexei Mikhailov explained his point of view. The deputy did not retract his words, but said that he had not called for the shooting of animal protection workers, but for the shooting of stray dogs, while animal rights activists should only be held responsible.
“I said they should be put up against the wall. Although that’s not my position. But they should be held responsible… No need to shoot, of course”, – Mikhailov said.
The deputy said that amendments to the draft on animal protection were already being made, which had already been submitted to the State Duma. Mikhailov states that the law needs a new one, «from scratch».
