There are fewer stray animals in Russia

In Russia, the number of stray animals has decreased from 4.1 million to 3.6 million over the past four years. This is 4% of the total number of pets. At the same time, the number of pets in shelters increased from 144 to 170 thousand. This is stated in the results of a study by the Center for the Study of Nutrition and Animal Welfare, which were reviewed by Izvestia on April 16.

Most of them are cats — 2.8 million against 800 thousand dogs. At the same time, almost the entire population of stray cats lives on the street, while there are more dogs in shelters.

Experts noted that according to the experts interviewed during the study, the main cause of homelessness is the human factor, up to 98% of street animals were previously domestic. The ranks of the homeless are replenished due to unwanted offspring of unsterilized pets, pets that get lost as a result of self-care, and the abandonment of their cats and dogs by their owners.

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"Our research has revealed an alarming trend: a third of cat owners and a quarter of dog owners have ever abandoned their pet. Another 5% and 8%, respectively, plan to give up a pet within a year. The main reasons are relocation, allergies, and behavioral problems. It's also scary that almost 10% of people leave unplanned puppies and kittens on the street, and these are not just numbers — these are thousands of lives that could have been saved," said Marianna Onufrienko, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, expert at the Center for the Study of Nutrition and Animal Welfare.

In her opinion, one of the key solutions to the problem of homelessness can be the development of people's responsible attitude towards animals, starting from school and kindergarten.

Earlier, on April 7, it was reported that the institute of the Commissioner for animal protection and the corresponding position may appear in Russia. The bill was sent for review by Dmitry Gusev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Control. It is assumed that the commissioner will be required to interact with veterinary organizations and similar services, as well as with the government in the field of responsible animal care.

Prior to that, on March 25, it became known that members of the State Duma's working group on finalizing legislation on stray animals proposed giving regions the right to prohibit feeding pets without owners in certain places.