First government shelter opens in Harkov, Ukraine: Curse or Cure?

06/14/2012


http://www.day.kiev.ua/229946

"Until each Ukrainian citizen understands that each litter of stray kittens and puppies is another litter of potential dead animals, the problem of stray animals in Ukraine will never be solved."

"There is little talk about humane euthanasia at the opening of the shelter and much accent on the wonderful capabilities of the shelter, first one in Ukraine, that will be modeled after shelters in Western countries, through which 1500 animals will go through every month. However, this is not 1500 lucky ones that went into a new home, but 1500 that will be put to sleep to make space for the next batch. And who is luckier, the ones that got into the shelter or the ones that remain behind its walls, on the streets where they are cared for by kind people? The answer to the question is not straight forward."

Harkov refuses to sign with 4 Paws !!!

"A contract scheduled to be signed yesterday between the Mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and FOUR PAWS has been cancelled at the last minute. The reason is that the authorities in Kharkiv wanted to alter the content of the agreement substantially while contracts with the same content had already been signed by the representatives of the cities Kiev, Lemberg, Zaporozhye and Donetsk.

For FOUR PAWS the changes meant that neither the proper implementation of the project nor a clear commitment to stop the dog killings by the authorities would have been guaranteed. Dr. Amir Khalil, head of the FOUR PAWS stray animal care project argues, that these conditions, are essential for the project. FOUR PAWS will therefore not compromise over the welfare of dogs and other animals nor on the quality of the care. Dr. Khalil continues, that all other cities FOUR PAWS works with accept the same conditions and are pleased with the progress made and we are providing a model for a humane solution of the stray dog situation. The path decided on by the city of Kharkiv is counterproductive and unacceptable.

The signing ceremony of the cooperation contract between the city of Kharkiv and FOUR PAWS was scheduled to take place today at the inauguration of a big animal shelter. FOUR PAWS hopes that the authorities will eventually reconsider their decision and is still ready to cooperate with Kharkiv. Particularly as it has shown in other cities how well received the project has been perceived by the local people as well as the authorities and how effectively our humane solution for stray dogs can be implemented in Ukraine."

FOUR PAWS is initiating a large-scale online protest urging the city of Kharkiv to accept FOUR PAWS' conditions for the stray dog project! Click here to join the protest
In Russian: http://uci-sk.ucoz.ru/news/2012-06-22-97