Dog Poisoning in Moscow

There have been several reports recently about the illegal poisoning of dogs in Moscow’s parks with this article providing the fullest details that I have seen so far.

Poisoned bait, such as meatballs, is being deliberately left in public parks for dogs to eat. The culprits are called “dog hunters” and, according to this article, it is the desire to kill animals rather than a particular dislike of stray dogs that motivates them. Thus, their actions are indiscriminate and have led to the deaths of both strays and pets.

An estimated 10 dogs are dying from such poisoning every month in Moscow but it is also occurring in other cities in Russia and Ukraine and the actual figure is likely to be higher as deaths of stray dogs will not always be discovered or reported.

Russia has laws against such animal cruelty but the punishments are “weak” and enforcement is rare to the extent that these “dog hunters act with almost total impunity”. They even have their own social networks for support and ideas.

So, to add to the problems faced by stray dogs they are now being targeted by a particularly cruel form of sport hunting whereby they “invariably suffer a very painful death, which only comes after several minutes of torture”.

Learn more about the lives and issue of unowned dogs in my e-book ”A Stray View” available from Bangkok Books (readable as .pdf on any computer)