Protection of animals in Russia: funds, state and public support. Salvation of animals: real stories

In this article we want to talk about the problem of animal protection in Russia. This issue has always been and remains relevant. Very often people do harm to animals, without understanding it. And meanwhile only we can help them.

The problem of homeless animals

The problem of stray dogs and cats swept Russia in the nineties, when the market for uncontrolled breeding of domestic animals led to their excessive quantity and depreciation. As a result, the first flocks of no-man dogs appeared on the streets.

At that time, people who had lost their jobs in the collapsed collective farms began to move closer to the cities from the villages. Naturally, they did not take home dogs with them. The animals began to gather in flocks and also migrated closer to the settlements. They multiplied, their number grew. I must say that the catching service at that time ceased to exist, no one was involved in regulating the number of stray dogs.

At the beginning of the 2000s, they gradually began to address this problem, trying to introduce humane methods of fighting homeless animals. In Moscow, for example, the program for the sterilization of animals was launched in 2002. Budget money was allocated for this, but there was little use. It's difficult to check whether the animals were sterilized or not, but the funds are gone, but the problem has remained.

In 2008 there was already a real influx of half-wild animals. Therefore, it was decided to equip shelters for stray animals and there to keep them for life. However, this did not work either. The funds were again spent, and the problem was not solved in any way.

Animal shelter

At this stage in Russia there are two types of shelters. This is municipal and private. As you understand, municipal financing comes from the state budget. But they are most relevant in the Russian Federation, since they have at least some kind of legal regulation.

The date of the beginning of functioning of such shelters can be considered the period of appearance of the official document "On the design of shelters for homeless animals in the city of Moscow" (December 29, 2006).

How do homeless dogs or cats get into such shelters? The mechanism is very simple. There are special organizations that deal with the capture of animals. Then they are sent to live in an animal shelter.

I must say that all these places of keeping animals today are far from ideal. The lack of funding is affecting, but the problem of homeless animals is being addressed in a humane and civilized way. Volunteers who are not indifferent to this problem are of great help in this work.

Non-state shelters

Private shelters are created on citizens' own money. The activities of such organizations are not regulated by any legislative acts. Very often, animal advocates are faced with the fact that the maintenance of animals in such places can not be called humane, the conditions do not correspond to any norms, therefore it is impossible to say that there the cats and dogs live better.

However, there are also such shelters, where people who really love animals live. They provide proper care for pets. Unfortunately, there are very few such organizations, they are always full of four-legged. Therefore, the reception of new tenants is extremely limited. To accept all comers from the street, such shelters simply can not. Such organizations should be much more, in addition, their activities should be in the legal field, be regulated by legislative acts, and for this it is necessary to adopt a number of laws on animals and their protection.

Myths about shelters for animals

In Russia, there are one hundred and fifty shelters for animals, forty of them are located in Moscow. Only in them are hundreds of thousands of animals. It would be possible for people who decided to buy themselves a pet, use the services of a shelter and take an animal to their house. However, many have stereotypes about the four-legged living in such places. Like, they are all sick and dirty. However, this is not so, because upon arrival at the shelter they are examined and vaccinated. They just need to pay much more attention than other animals.

It can not be said that even in the best place the four-legged friends live perfectly. There is not much room in shelters, in addition, there is clearly not enough petting and caring for the animals there.

Problems of wrong attitude of animals from the shelter are handled by different funds. One of them is the fund "Letters of hope". His board of trustees includes well-known personalities: Elena Yakovleva, Konstantin Khabensky, Andrei Makarevich and other stars.

Protection of animals in nurseries

I must say that the shelters are closed entrance. It is not so easy to get there, only through badges. And there are reasons for this. So they try to protect themselves from people with zhiladerskimi inclinations, which are capable of killing animals. That's why on the Internet never point out the direct addresses of shelters, but only an approximate location. Everyone who wants to get into the shelter and take an animal to them, you need to contact first of all with volunteers.

Legislative protection of animals

At the same time, people began to use not only domestic, but also wild animals for commercial purposes. Many examples of how, for example, in some roadside cafe or restaurant to attract visitors in eerie conditions contain wild animals (bears, monkeys, exotic lizards). Not only can the beasts simply escape from there and harm people, they just do not have to live in such conditions. And with such facts of commercial use of animals you need to fight. The problem of saving animals has long been ripe.

So, a full-fledged law is needed that would regulate this process, avoiding cruel treatment of animals. Many countries have long adopted similar regulations (Austria, England).

However, the problem of animals has deeper roots. On the one hand, uncontrolled reproduction of homeless individuals is observed, which is extremely dangerous for society. And on the other hand, people sometimes also cause them significant harm. Therefore, saving animals is a profound issue, requiring comprehensive reflection and decision.

Animal Rescue Service

I must say that in everyday life, not only tied animals get into trouble, but even the most beloved pets. Homeless dogs can count only on themselves, and at home individuals have a chance to get help from their owners.

Recently, in large cities, special services have appeared that are engaged in providing assistance to domestic and wild animals. Saving animals is their first priority.

Typically, these rescue services work around the clock. People can just call them and get the right information about what needs to be done to help their four-legged friends.

Unfortunately, in Russia there are no such state organizations. Therefore, the rescue of animals from death occurs only on a commercial basis. No person will leave for free to provide assistance or treatment. I must say that the mandatory reception of absolutely all animals is not carried out even in state shelters.

Moreover, in the greater part of the Russian Federation, there are no relevant environmental and hunting services that could go to places when complex situations arise. Saving wild animals could be a perfectly solvable issue in the presence of such organizations.

Rescuers and climbers

Since there is no need to wait for help from government services , it is possible to rely only on paid services of private organizations, for which the rescue of animals has become a work.

Rescuers and mountaineers work in Moscow and large megacities, which provide services to save animals. They can help you to lift a cat from the top, pull a locked pet from an inaccessible place.

However, even they can not always cope in a difficult situation, since they do not have certain equipment. In such cases, you can try to contact the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Of course, this service is not engaged in animals, they do not have such specialists, but they can help with the necessary tools or equipment. For example, lift the heavy plate. The MOE is reluctant to respond to such requests, because they have enough of their work, but in exceptional cases, you can try to contact them.

Ifaw Foundation (International Fund For Animal Welfare)

Saving animals is an urgent problem of modern society. Around the world, they are facing a lot of different dangers: loss of habitual habitat, conflict situations between man and animals, natural disasters and man-made disasters, abuse and illegal trade of four-footed.

All these questions are handled by the specialists of the international fund Ifaw. They always try to help the animals that are in trouble, and direct their efforts to solve the problems that led to the unfavorable situation.

The animal rescue fund comes to the aid of bears, penguins, elephants, rhinoceroses and many other wild animals that without destiny would be doomed to certain death. Specialists of the fund not only save animals, but also try to carry out the necessary rehabilitation before releasing them.

Activities of the Foundation in Russia

The purpose of the fund is the rescue of animals and their return to the wild. The organization is international. In Russia, it also carries out its activities, in particular, in the Tver region is the center of the fund for the rehabilitation of orphan cubs, where they are engaged in feeding and rearing the cubs left without mothers. The matured individuals are most comfortable returning to their natural habitat. True, this is not always possible. Difficult wounds and a long period of captivity hamper the rapid process of adaptation. In such cases, animals are identified in the shelter, where they are kept until the end of life.

In addition to helping the animals, the fund's employees are actively trying to eliminate those causes that have a negative impact on the life of animals, as far as, of course, this is possible. The purpose of the organization is to preserve wildlife in all its beauty and diversity, no matter what.

From the history of the foundation

In Russia, Ifaw started working in 1994. The first activity was related to the scientific research of marine mammals and the search for alternatives to seal hunting in the White Sea. Then the programs have expanded considerably, and now the fund's employees have directed their efforts to protect whales, white and brown bears, wild animals that have become the subject of commercial trade and use, as well as tigers on the verge of extinction in Russia in the Far East.

Real examples of saving animals

To give examples of saving animals, you do not need to go far. Their mass, because in the course of their activities, Ifaw workers help not only representatives of wildlife, but also pets.

In January 2016, five cubs entered the Rehabilitation Center for the cubs, which we described earlier. Their history is similar to many others. They remained without their mothers because they were frightened off the lair by the sounds of logging operations. Rescuers heard the whining of abandoned cubs, and saved them from imminent death. Now the kids feel well and gradually prepare them for life in the wild. One of them was called Mike, and the other was Cleopatra. They are treated and fed from a bottle.

These are not the only cubs in this kennel. Every year, there is a sufficient number of toddlers in a weakened and semi-living state, even from remote regions. All of them, if possible, are nursed.

Not so long ago, a young tigress was picked up by the fund's employees. In the nursery, it has been for more than two months. And many people took part in its rescue, even local residents. But at the moment the animal feels fine and undergoes rehabilitation.

Ifaw and pets

The Fund actively participates in the protection of pets, because they often and heavily suffer from their own owners. After all, the life of our smaller brothers depends directly on us. Sometimes we can not harm them intentionally. Therefore, saving pets is one of the tasks of the organization.

In this field, the specialists of the organization are more likely to conduct educational work to provide people with the necessary information about how to care for animals, what to feed, what diseases suffer from pets, how to avoid aggression and attacks from wards, and much more.

Ifaw promotes a responsible and humane attitude to animals and at the same time a safe mutual existence of people and animals.

Instead of an afterword

Protection of animals and their salvation is an urgent problem of modern society, which should be solved at the legislative level with the full support not only of volunteers and individual organizations, but also of the broad masses of the people. The most important task is to achieve the most comfortable existence of people with domestic and wild animals, excluding damage from both sides.