Prior to the official start of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, the administration of Sochi had planned to kill more than 2,000 stray dogs and cats to “ensure safety and improve the city’s image” for the start of the Sochi Winter Olympics beginning next February. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that “Sochi was prepared to pay more than 1.7 million rubles (about $54,000) for “work to catch and dispose of” more than 2,000 dogs and cats in 2013-2015. The tender was posted in late March.”
Thankfully, that request has since been called off, thanks to the CEO of the Humane Society International getting involved and voicing obvious displeasure. No public bids were received to carry out the disgustingly planned execution.
According to RIA Novosti, “Sergei Krivonosov, a United Russia party representative from Sochi in the State Duma, said killing strays was necessary to ensure the safety of foreign visitors during the Games. He said the issue was still open for debate and urged animal rights activists to come up with realistic proposals.”
After much deliberation, officials finally came up with a new plan – the only one that should have been discussed from the start – to build an animal shelter in or around the city of Sochi prior to the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in 10 months. “The animal shelter will be built and maintained by the Dobromir charity organization. All the required documents are currently being finalized,” the Sochi administration said in a statement.
How it ever got to this point is truly appalling. While it is great that Sochi will not build a facility that will be responsible for “keeping, treating and sterilizing animals,” I still feel that it may not be the worst idea for animal activists and anyone for the rights of all animals to consider boycotting the 2014 Sochi Games until this new humane plan is carried out in its entirety.
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