It’s been all over the news recently
You’ve probably read that stray dogs are being killed in some Russian cities that are hosting the football World Cup.
The city of Sochi has hit the headlines as it’s not the first time the authorities have been accused of carrying out a mass cull to ‘clean up’ the streets for foreign visitors before an international sporting event.
The same thing happened in the lead up to the 2014 Winter Olympics. At that time, the fate of Sochi’s strays became an international scandal as photographs were circulated of dogs dying in the streets.
The mayor of Sochi, Anatoly Pakhomov, has denied the city has authorised the killing of stray animals and says there are no plans to do so before the World Cup.
Some of the 11 World Cup host cities have begun work with animal welfare groups to address the issue of stray animals. However, despite promises made by Russia’s deputy prime minister, Vitaly Mutko, that stray animal shelters would be built in all cities, local animal advocates allege that dogs are being poisoned and shot.
Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) say they do not condone the cruel treatment of wild and stray animals and that they take this responsibility seriously and seek to set a good example to others. Fifa says procedures have been put in place to monitor and respond to any case in a humane manner to avoid any inappropriate reaction. Fifa says they are in contact with the LOC in each host city about the measures employed and expect them to ensure the welfare of the animal population.