The authorities are preparing “a massacre through euthanasia” of stray dogs, declared a group of animal rights activists during a press conference on Friday.

Eduard Volkov, Olga Supchanova and Olga Gersh in particular referred to a draft amendment which they say proposes putting to death stray animals that have been in shelters for six months without being adopted, regardless of their actual health status.

“The drafter of this amendment has two arguments in favor of euthanasia. He told us that euthanasia will only be applied in certain cases, and that it won’t be a large-scale thing (…) Then, he says that dog shelters are overcrowded. But these two arguments obviously contradict each other: either you are talking about particular cases, or about emptying the shelters. Of course it will be a mass euthanasia!" said Supchanova.

The activists insist that a catch-neuter-vaccinate-release program must be implemented instead. “We propose releasing the dogs that do not pose any threat to humans, and those that cannot be released, we propose returning them to the shelter. The problem is that we don’t have any good shelters. The so-called ‘Necropolis’ is a temporary shelter for dogs that are in serious condition. Chisinau is probably the only European city that does not have a municipal dog shelter. We need a shelter that would include a sterilization facility, an adoption center and proper enclosures," added the activist.

Moreover, Supchanova says another amendment is being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry that would allow the killing of captured stray dogs if they are not transferred from the temporary placement center within two weeks.

Olga Gersh stated during the same press conference that euthanasia should be clearly regulated in the animal protection bill. “It must be clearly regulated that euthanasia may be allowed only for animals suffering from incurable diseases, and prohibit euthanasia if the animal is healthy. And this is to be decided only by a licensed veterinarian”, Gersh said.

The activists are urging the leadership of the country and interested members of the public to get involved so that “the massacre” doesn’t happen.