As many as 9 amalgamated hromadas of the Cherkasy Oblast will begin to systematically solve the problem of homeless animals with humane methods by adopting relevant programmes and planning appropriate funds in their budgets.

The programmes have been already approved in the Yerkivska, Mokrokalyhirska, Stepanetska, Kamyanska and Talnivska AHs. They will be approved in the Steblivska and Nabutivska hromadas, in a few days, and are planned to be approved next year in the Shpolyanska and Rotmystrivska AHs.

“We want our hromada to develop and become the hromada of conscious and responsible people, its life to become more comfortable, and our children to grow up as moral and compassionate people, that is why we did not hesitate to adopt such a programme,” said Oleksandr Yaremenko, head of the Stepanetska hromada. “It assumes that each homeless animal is caught, vaccinated against rabies, neutered, identified (with an earclip) and returned to the place where it used to live before. Previously, the problem of homeless animals was being solved in Ukraine in an inhumane way – that is both ineffective and severely punished today, in accordance with applicable legislation.”

“We are satisfied with this way of solving the problem, because neutered and vaccinated animals become non-aggressive and safe both in terms of potential conflicts with people and in terms of rabies’ spreading. Moreover, while staying in the street, they obstruct penetration of wild animals into settlements. Well, of course, neutered dogs will not leave dozens of new homeless puppies in the street,” says Alla Yaremenko, secretary of the Yerkivska settlement council. “We were the first to adopt such a programme, and in the Year of the Dog we will definitely plan to introduce a more responsible and humane attitude towards homeless animals in our hromada.

Today, 2 AHs of the Cherkasy Oblast – the Talnivska and Kamyanska hromadas – are working on the establishment of a stationary base (equipped premises and a site for the temporary keeping of animals), having won with this idea at the competition of environmental projects and measures implemented at the expense of the oblast budget. In addition, the Talnivska AH received a mobile surgery, equipped with veterinary appliances (with the support of the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine) that can carry out neutering and vaccination of animals throughout the AH.