Sochi residents report mass liquidation of stray cats and dogs before the Olympics

In the last weeks before the Winter Olympics, Sochi authorities have tightened measure aimed to catch and kill stray dogs and cats, city residents report. However, local animal defenders believe that the money allocated by the administration of Sochi for killing animals should have been used to sterilize them.

Tatiana Leschenko, the leader of the public movement "Zoo Care of Homeless Animals in Sochi", believes that the number of stray animals can be reduced by sterilization. However, one such surgery in a private clinic costs over 3000 roubles for a dog and 500 roubles for a cat.

She believes that a lot of guilt is on Sochi residents who throw their pets out into the streets.

"Stray animals are killed mostly at night by paralyzing them with poisoned darts. The animal suffers for about an hour and then slowly dies. Then, the slaughtered animals are transported to Timashevsk, where they are processed into the bone meal, later fed to cattle as a food additive," said Leschenko.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at one of Sochi trauma centres that they receive patients with bites from stray dogs.

In April 2013, the Administration of the Tsentralny District of Sochi announced a tender for the capture and disposal of stray animals; however, not a single bid was submitted.