Russian Olympic City Cancels Tender to Cull Strays

2013/04/18

SOCHI, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - The administration of Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, said on Thursday it had cancelled a plan to exterminate stray animals in the city, after it received no bids for a tender to carry it out.


According to the official Russian website for public tenders, 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.


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.


In a statement delivered on Thursday, the city administration said from now on they would oblige tender respondents to have facilities for keeping, treating and sterilizing animals.


The Sochi authorities also said an animal shelter would soon be built in the city, and a plot of land has already been allocated for the purpose.


“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.



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