Urban savages: who will protect the law “On the protection of wild animals”
TASS talked to animal rights activists, city authorities and owners of animals to see, why do people have exotic animals as these animals fall into private hands, what you need to know their owners, and what measures Moscow deputies propose to regulate the content of wild Pets.
Today a little surprise for someone a monkey, Fox or lynx as a pet. However, a separate law regulating the keeping wild animals in apartments, there, so often they live in totally unsuitable conditions. In addition lovers of exotics (exotic Pets) do not always think about the consequences of purchasing such animals for yourself or other people, who are forced to coexist with the leopard or Python.
Moscow authorities decided to remedy the situation. Soon the deputies of the city Duma will consider the bill “On the protection of wild animals”. But first the city government wants to know the position of residents. From March 13 to 24 on the platform crowd.mos.ru anyone can register and take part in the discussion document.
Fashion boa
According to zoodefenders, the fashion for exotic animals came about in the 1990-ies, when the Russians had the opportunity to travel abroad. At the same time formed the business for the delivery to Russia of parties of animals for subsequent sale.
The “man “happy” guests, bringing them on the shoulders of boa — says the coordinator of projects on preservation of rare species of animals WWF (world wildlife Fund) Natalia Dronova. Or had primates, which are difficult to contain — baboons, macaques. They are medium-sized, but still, if it is adults, hard to take care of because they need special conditions.”
After the 1998 crisis, the market is “ustakanilos” and, according to the observations of the representative of the WWF, there are fewer people who boasted exotics. But the wild animals began to appear on the streets.
Remember, monkeys in Sokolniki were caught and placed in rescue centers. Someone people are trying to convey, because we understand that animals bite and spread the flat, and these difficulties not all were ready perenosyatsya Donovanator projects for the conservation of rare species of animals WWF
There is another category of owners — those who gets an exotic animal for a living. For example, photographers who offer to take a picture with the animal. “If we talk about monkeys, buy them adolescents or young, when they are cute, not show aggression, they are easy to be photographed. But when the animal grows up, trying to build the hierarchical relationship becomes unpredictable (put on your knees to the child, and it stung), the photographer can no longer use that animal,” explains Dronova.
The hapless owners of exotics who are tired of Pets or cannot cope with the content, and businessmen who can no longer profit from the animal, trying to get rid of them: throw out or trying to attach.
However, according to WWF representative, to sell a boring pet.
“To me often lately asked for help on the device of the cubs five to six months of age. People think that if you bought them for 60-80 thousand rubles, will be able to sell (the price of a lion varies from 60 to 150 thousand rubles — approx. TASS),” — said Dronov.
Take the animal in the circus or the zoo is also difficult. According to the Kremlin has promised to consider, there is a breeding programme, and the lions take to create a pair. But the animal can’t take without quarantine or without documents of origin, as follow, to avoid inbreeding (inbreeding — approx. TASS).
There are still centres the rescue of large cats, but they are almost all the time crowded. “In the end, I managed to find a trainer who went to meet and took a lion cub for free, despite the fact that the previous owners had spent money on it. Because, if we talk about the cubs, the supply exceeds the demand,” says Dronov.
Smuggling is dangerous for animals and for people
According to the head of the Moscow Department of nature use and environmental protection Anton Kulbachevsky, a major problem is the illegal trade of animals. Talking about smuggling, and illegal trade in exotics over the Internet.
Dronova adds that the illegal trade in without quarantine and veterinary inspections — dangerous not only for future Pets, but for humans.
Animals can die in transit, especially if they are crowded driven, stuffed in boxes and small cages. And their hosts can be infected infections: psittacosis — from parrots, salmonellosis, from reptiles, hepatitis and fevers — from obezyannik Kulbachevskaya of the Moscow Department of nature management and environmental protection
Animals from the red book banned
If to speak about legal ways of buying, today, according to Dronova, buy and sell any animals other than listed in the Red book. This, for example, the Amur tiger, leopard, saiga, Merlin. “Selling, buying and keeping these animals is completely prohibited and punished by criminal”, — said the representative of WWF.
But the lynx can be bought legitimately, as is the usual hunting, says the expert. You can even buy a lion and keep it at the cottage.
“The buyer needs to demand documentation on the legality of the origin of the object. For example, that lion cub bred in captivity, he has parents, legally acquired. It can be circus animals, or some zoo. Is the act of his birth, veterinary papers, says Dronov. — These documents indicate that the owner is a honest buyer and contains an animal in captivity to the best of his understanding.”
The law to protect animals and people
Even if the owners took care of the legal acquisition of a pet, they do not always know what conditions it needs: what should be the room lighting, how to feed, etc., laments the Kulbachevsky. In addition, there are animals who do wrong to keep in apartments, as they can be dangerous, adds Dronova. This, for example, predators, large cats and primates, venomous snakes. You must create a list of species that are prohibited content in private collections, she said. These animals will be able to contain professionals or zoos, but in private hands they will not be hit.
According to the head of the Moscow Department of nature management, the draft law “On wild animals” should help streamline both the content and circulation of rare and exotic animals in Moscow.
The new law will help to protect like a wild animal from man and man from wild zhivotnovodov Kulbachevsky
“We through the law we want to clearly determine what animals can be kept in a Moscow apartment, and which, for example, only in a cage outside the city,” — said Kulbachevsky.
In the new rules it is also planned to increase the responsibility of pet owners to the authorities and the neighbors.
Another paragraph of the document will be the introduction of mandatory registration of Pets. “We need to clearly understand where in the city the animals live, what they are and the conditions in which they live. This is our main goal”, — said the head of the Department of natural resources in Moscow.
How many meters you need a tiger
Dronova believes that the emergence of standards of animal welfare will help to control the conditions in which they live. “Now the police or the inspectors of Rosprirodnadzor are difficult to apply legislation, because it is not written anywhere, what conditions are appropriate: how many meters should be for a tiger, a lion, a Gibbon can live without a cage in the apartment, if it’s a reptile — observed temperature and humidity level. This should be spelled out in special regulations are not for every type, I think, and for the group — the same big cat,” — says the expert.
Of course, each apartment just will not enter, says animal rights activist. The pet owners must complain to the neighbours to come check. But lately, the main problem is not with apartments, but with private zoos and exhibitions, she adds. After the introduction of a bill to force private and petting zoos will be checked first.
Sign up and breed animals safely
As for registration, Dronova believes that this will help legalize the market of animals, which are bred in the kennels of Russia. “Nothing wrong with breeding in captivity, for example, Lori or parrots, no. Due to this the market are animals adapted to such a life, and not from the wild. It does not harm their natural populations, animals are not bring of infection because they are not brought from somewhere abroad”, — said the representative of WWF.
Today all the animals, brought to Moscow legally or smuggled, into the common market, where the buyer difficult to navigate.
For example, a man wants to buy a parrot, Jacquot. The dealer will tell him that threw the parrot in his apartment, not wearing the ring because it was not. As a result, the buyer will get a wild bird that never tamed, and well, if she doesn’t have zabolevaniyami Dronova
Many nurseries will want to sign up, says Dronova, but until now there is no such mechanism. As for private owners, for them, the registration can carry a declarative character, she adds.
Today the service only registers a particularly rare species, included in Annex I of the Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora threatened of extinction (CITES).
“To bring a chimpanzee or red Aru, you need to obtain a permit for the import of Russian administrative authority. And if it is, for example, the animal of the second application (to include all large parrots, all monkeys, pythons, Boas, chameleons), it comes with documents without notice of Rosprirodnadzor, only with the permission of the country where goes. The customs officer makes a note, and then it is not taken into account. So no one knows how many Russian chameleons,” explains Dronova.
Is it easy to keep the house Fox
Pet owners are sure, those who bought pet legally and in good faith takes care of it, have nothing to fear.
The owner of silver-black foxes Eugene Mikhin says that he bought the animal farm of the Institute of Cytology and genetics, Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS) after he learned of the Novosibirsk experiment.
More than 50 years ago, scientists headed by academician Dmitry Belyaev began an experiment in domestication (domestication) of foxes. For many generations of genetics have selected the most obedient and loyal human animals and crossed them. As a result, they were able to get considered your home Fox.
Another legal way to buy the Fox — fur farms or fur farms.
Buying Fox, the owner signs a contract and receives a check, which indicates that animal was born in captivity, as well as help F1, which is necessary when transporting the pet. Without this document may not accept the vet’s. In addition, the animal chipasula.
Fox from Novosibirsk sold with a veterinary passport. The owners purchased elsewhere, must issue a document on their own.
Novosibirsk Fox costs about $1 thousand Farming — a more budget option — about 10-15 thousand rubles. “Buy a Fox and for 3 thousand rubles, — says the Mihin. — The question is what you will get. Most likely it will be Fox, produced with the poaching method, which is very difficult to contain. There are still people who bred foxes and the “throw” of people, giving for domesticated foxes, supposedly they have parents from Novosibirsk. But Novosibirsk monopoly, they only sell sterilized animals.”
In the opinion of the owner of the Fox Yana Gorkovoy if the new law will oblige the owners to make Pets of state registration, veterinary, register (chipped) and to vaccinate an animal that is right. She believes that there should be registration and supervision of our smaller brethren.
“We need someone who is authorised to intervene in the fate of pet, for example vetstantsii when the animals are in poor condition, and treatment is not provided. As now even the police can’t do anything she says. — And if you have a chip that can track whether the animal was an appointment at the vet or not. The chip already in kind account, with the data of the owner and address.”
Mikhin agree that the current legislation on the protection of animals from cruel treatment needs improvement. As the regulation of sale of animals: “Now you can go on Amazon and find a wild Fox, long-eared owl, which is not bred in captivity, or ordering a chick crow. It is obvious that the poacher takes the order and goes in the spring in the woods to get those eggs.”
As to the content of most of the animals, in his opinion, the existing legislative framework is sufficient. Among the documents that he reviewed before you buy the Fox, the young man calls the law “About silence”, the Housing code, the Decision of the government of Moscow on the pet, the law on sanitary-epidemiological welfare of population and law “On veterinary medicine”. The latter provide requirements for the keeping of animals (excluding wild, “natural freedom”), including the responsibility of the owner.
These laws guided the owners of Pets, such as dogs. “What a Fox differs from a dog, but his behavior? It is also necessary to walk, she can live in the apartment or enclosure. In fact, the existing regulations for dogs, can be extended to the Fox, and then she will not interfere with anybody,” says the owner.
Thus, at the legislative level the content of Fox is not much different from owning a dog. However, in the care of the animal is not very simple. According to Gorkovoy, it requires the conditions, time and considerable Finance on decent content. “I do not advise to have a Fox for those who can’t give proper care. My Fox without supervision cannot be left alone: these animals are very curious and can hurt themselves. You’ll drop on something, the wire in his mouth dragged. To get him to do something without his interest in the process is unrealistic. It is not only those” mimimi that plague the Internet. The Fox can not a time to accustom to something, constantly need to fix. The same socialization, tray, celebrations, — she explains.
However, the girl does not regret that bought Fox, “Animal charm, with it interesting to do, it charges positive. Even when Skoda, all he wants to forgive. Even with all the difficulties: the smell, spoiled things, scratchy claw marks obtained in the games, he doesn’t look like a wild animal. In appearance or behavior.”
Tamara Kazarina, Olga Makhmutova