Vladimir Burmatov, who serves as First Deputy Chairman of the Ecology Committee in the State Duma, criticized a proposal from Denis Pasler, the governor of the Orenburg Region. Burmatov said that regional lawmakers intend to push a bill in the State Duma for humane euthanasia of stray and aggressive dogs. In an interview with socialbites.ca, he described Pasler’s plan as a populist move and an imitation of violent actions.
“There is only one thing that keeps echoing—another imitation of violence. Why weren’t steps taken earlier? This isn’t the first tragedy, and prosecutors have repeatedly highlighted the need to fix the situation, including official orders: improve the situation, build shelters, start trapping. The district has funds. I checked the Investigative Committee’s website and found a road repair labeled as ‘no-target’ in the Orenburg region. With that money, a shelter could have been built, or the funds could have been used to service luxury cars owned by management. They have money, but they lack will, time, or the proper actions to protect residents’ lives and health. Incredible,” Burmatov remarked.
He added that no action in the State Duma is required to resolve the problem of dog attacks in the region. According to Burmatov, local authorities possess the authority to issue regulations aimed at safeguarding citizens from stray animal attacks.
“In the Orenburg region, particularly in Orenburg city, the execution of federal law has been deliberately sabotaged. To date, not a single municipal shelter has been built, and proper trapping has not been carried out. The prosecutor’s office records about 750 citizen requests per year to trap homeless animals, all of which were ignored. Now they say they will introduce measures in the State Duma. Is that what residents expect? People want real actions that simply do not exist, and they wonder if the authorities can deliver,” he said.
Burmatov expressed hope that the situation with stray animal attacks in the Orenburg region could be resolved with involvement of the Investigative Committee.
“Only after that can the situation calm down. Then it would be possible to start removing stray dogs from the streets in a systematic way, protecting residents, adopting local laws, and building shelters where aggressive animals are kept separate. Mass neutering programs for the area, support for volunteers who do this work, and the establishment of shelters could follow. Where such work is done, bites and attacks drop, and residents feel safer. At one point, the attorney for the region even reported that the head of the housing and social services department had been arrested during an ongoing criminal investigation, while the mayor and the deputy mayor were questioned. The investigation has begun to hold those directly responsible for this breakdown accountable,” he stated.
Earlier, the SU SK in the Orenburg region reported that a pack of stray dogs bit and killed a schoolboy near a garage cooperative. The boy died at the scene, and a criminal case was opened under the article of Negligence Resulting in a Person’s Death.
The head of the housing and communal services department for the city administration, who appeared after the child’s death, was placed under house arrest. Governor Pasler stated that mayors in the area had been instructed to capture neglected dogs after a pack attacked a child.
Burmatov told socialbites.ca that the responsibility for the child’s death lies with authorities for failing to monitor the capture of animals.