Faced with a spate of horrifying wild dog attacks that have left people maimed or dead, roaming packs of canines should be put down without delay, along with those advocating for their protection, the head of a local parliamentary ethics committee in Russia’s Far East has claimed, arguing that animal rights advocates endanger the country’s security.
Speaking to local media outlet Chita.ru on Tuesday, local assembly member Alexander Mikhailov voiced his opinions on safeguarding homeless hounds and their rights. “The idea that dogs should not be killed is absolute nonsense which someone imposed on us,” he insisted.
“I lived in the countryside and I remember that, all my life, they were shot and that their skins were used to make fur coats,” the parliamentarian said. “If a dog goes without an owner for a while – it is culled, and it doesn't matter whether it is aggressive or not. Dogs should not be stray.”
Taking aim at activists fighting for the safety of the ownerless furry friends, he slammed them as being “fifth column,” accusing them of working against the country’s best interests.
“These people are not just threatening Russia's security, they are undermining it,” he said.
“We need to figure out where they get the money for their activities and for lobbying their interests,” the ethics chief insisted. “Therefore, people who do not allow stray dogs to be culled should also be punished … put them up against the wall,” he ordered. According to Mikhailov, animal rights activists would do better in helping sick minors or engaging in other good deeds.
His remarks come in the wake of reports that a seven-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Domna, near the city of Chita.
In November 2020, Russian animal protection organization Vita asked the country's federal government to take control of an investigation into the alleged mass murder of more than 50,000 dogs and cats captured in the Siberian Irkutsk region.
According to the activists, they were contacted by volunteers who entered an animal shelter in the village of Karluk. They claimed they found animal corpses with signs of violent death, and believed more than 50,000 dogs and cats had been massacred since 2008.