Mayhew International, part of The Mayhew Animal Home has launched an emergency campaign to alert people to the proposed culling of stray dogs in Sochi in the run up to the Olympics this weekend.

Reports say that a company has been appointed to catch and destroy around 2000 dogs in Sochi despite assurances last year that the Sochi authorities would not employ such barbaric methods.

In a letter addressed to the President Vladimir Putin, CEO of The Mayhew Caroline Yates stated:

“There has been a lot of research into the management of street dog populations with successful programmes documented in several countries, all of which show that there needs to be a sustained strategy from a variety of stakeholders working together to provide a comprehensive system of mass neutering, animal identification and education and awareness programmes about the source of such animal populations… we urge you to invest in a strategy for a long-term, sustainable solution to these issues in Russia and not repeat what is happening in Sochi, we are ready and willing to help.”

Mayhew International has been advising Moscow City authorities and other local groups for many years on the issue of controlling and containing the population of stray and street animals using humane methods.

Please add your name to our petition on www.themayhew.org/sochi and let President Vladimir Putin know you are against the proposed culling of stray and street dogs in Sochi.