They will take under their wing: the position of an animal inspector may be introduced in Moscow

In Moscow, it was proposed to introduce the post of inspector for responsible treatment of animals. He will take over the function of a liaison between city services, animal rights activists and residents. Izvestia found out why there was a need for such a specialist and whether the practice could be extended to the regions.

The new inspector

In the capital, it was proposed to introduce the post of inspector for responsible treatment of animals. This initiative was put forward in the Moscow City Duma.

As deputy Alexander Davankov explained to Izvestia, there is currently no single center in the city that would solve issues related to animals. The Department of Housing and Communal Services is responsible for the homeless, the Veterinary Committee is responsible for pets, Rospotrebnadzor and the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection are responsible for wild animals. No one deals with issues at the junction of departments.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

— Meanwhile, the problem of animals has long required a serious solution. Stray dogs, attacks on people, overcrowded shelters, owners who abandon pets or keep them in inappropriate conditions — all this creates tension," Davankov said.

According to him, the inspector could take on the function of a liaison between city services, animal rights activists and residents. He will monitor the implementation of legislation, develop new initiatives, and most importantly, respond promptly to problems.

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As noted by Izvestia's interlocutor, on February 2, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to form a Competence Center for the responsible treatment of animals, including domestic ones. Its tasks should include summarizing and disseminating best practices in this area, and preparing proposals for improving legislation and law enforcement practices.

Four-legged problems

The issue of introducing the post of inspector is currently under discussion. In early March, a round table was held in the Moscow City Duma, where representatives of various departments and human rights activists spoke.

Rospotrebnadzor supported the idea, noting that inspectors could help identify "rubber apartments" for animals. So, last year, 13 premises were found in Moscow, where dozens of dogs and cats were kept. But in almost all cases, it was not possible to influence the situation, because the owners simply did not open the doors. It also failed to bring them to justice: there is no law in the city that would limit the number of pets in apartments.

In turn, the Interior Ministry cited data that a twofold increase in the number of incidents under Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Cruelty to animals") was recorded in Moscow. 19 criminal cases were opened. The creation of a link between departments and agencies would speed up the investigation of such crimes.

— According to the statistics of the Zoogravo hotline, the main appeals of Muscovites are related to animal cruelty by the owners themselves (not feeding, locking on a balcony or in a car, throwing out from balconies), walking dogs without leashes and muzzles, providing substandard veterinary services, — says lawyer, chairman of the Association of Specialists and Lawyers for the rights and protection of animals "Zoopravo" Anastasia Feklunina.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina

At the same time, she adds, citizens' self-awareness will not change without the participation of the executive branch. For example, today not all pet-walking areas are suitable for use: some are filled with rubble, and some with sand, which does not change. There are few playgrounds in some areas, and their location makes them less visited.

"If we talk about the suppression of offenses and crimes, we lack prevention," the Izvestia interlocutor continues. — For example, the Veterinary Committee is responsible for detecting violations of the rules of pet walking, which has published a report for 2022 on its website (there are no other reports): 13 cases of such violations were identified during the year. Any resident of Moscow understands that the figure indicates the inefficiency of work in this area.

According to the expert, activists have been insisting on the need to create a Center for the Commissioner for Responsible Treatment of Animals for many years. At the same time, they see the very problem of integrating animals into the urban environment as complex — various government institutions and public organizations should take part in the solution.

Urban difficulties

Anna Feldman, a specialist in GR at the Animal Welfare Association and director of the Kotospas Charitable Foundation, calls Moscow an advanced city in the treatment of animals in an interview with Izvestia. There are 13 municipal shelters in the capital, which house about 17,000 animals, and more than 1 billion rubles are allocated annually for their maintenance.

— But there are also difficulties, mostly of a managerial nature. In Moscow, the issues of animal treatment are blurred between the three departments: These are the Department of Housing and Communal Services, the Veterinary Committee and the Department of Environmental Management," says Feldman.

The first of them deals only with the maintenance of orphaned animals in shelters. Issues of responsible treatment of animals in general, issues of treatment of owned animals, and issues of assistance to animals living on the streets of the city are not within the competence of the Housing and Communal Services Department. At the same time, the Veterinary Committee deals only with rabies vaccination issues.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Belousov

— Although the function of state regional supervision is assigned specifically to the Veterinary Committee, the agency practically does not perform it: for example, only one fine was issued for cruelty to animals (Article 8.52 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation) in 2024. It turns out that animal owners are on their own, no one controls them, and the problems of street animals are on the shoulders of volunteers and animal welfare funds," says the Izvestia interlocutor.

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The introduction of such a position as an inspector will make it possible to establish interdepartmental cooperation, including with internal affairs bodies, to bring to justice for cruelty to animals, because it is the inevitability of punishment that contributes to the effectiveness of any measures of responsibility, Anna Feldman believes.

Powers of the inspector

Speaking about how an inspector should work, the Moscow City Duma suggests "not tying" him to any particular department. It should be a separate institution, "something like the Commissioner for human rights, but in the field of animal protection."

"Such independence is needed so that he can really influence the situation and freely interact with various structures — from the police and housing and communal services to veterinary services and animal rights organizations, and help to establish systematic work," says deputy Alexander Davankov.

In his opinion, the new position would be a step towards creating a safer and more comfortable urban environment. After all, the inspector could at least monitor the implementation of existing laws and take over the coordination function.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

— Today, Muscovites do not understand where to turn in case of problems, animal rights organizations spend a huge amount of time fighting bureaucracy, and stray animals become a source of constant controversy. Many problems rest on the lack of a clear response mechanism: where to complain about neighbors who keep animals in inappropriate conditions, how to act if they encounter abuse, or how to hold accountable owners who walk their dogs without leashes and do not clean up after them. The inspector can become the one who promptly responds to complaints and understands difficult cases, — the deputy of the Moscow City Duma considers.

According to animal rights activists, there is no equivalent of such a position in Russia yet — the city may become the first to have a full-fledged institution, which can then be extended to the regions. Meanwhile, Anna Feldman notes, a similar practice exists in other countries: for example, Thailand, India and South Africa. Public inspectors are also involved in the control system there.