No Stray Dogs Were Euthanized in Malatia Sebastia: Clarification

The Stray Animal Sterilization Center has issued a clarification on its Facebook page. “Dear Yerevan residents, considering the recent unfounded news circulated in some media and social networks, we want to shed light on the truth. In recent days, the Stray Animal Sterilization Center has been operating in emergency mode due to the high number of alerts from citizens, particularly residents of the Malatia Sebastia administrative district.

According to the information received, stray dogs in the mentioned community exhibited aggressive behavior, attacking and injuring residents, especially children. As a result of the actions taken, more than 30 dogs were brought in from the area and examined by specialists. The examinations revealed that there were no signs of rabies in the animals.

After the checks were completed, some of the animals were returned to the same area, while the dogs collected from areas adjacent to schools and kindergartens were relocated to avoid similar incidents. Six of the dogs were given to private caretakers due to their large size, with the condition of keeping them in their own premises/ not letting them out onto the streets, aimed at ensuring the safety of the dogs and the public.

We responsibly report that none of the animals brought from this area were euthanized (none were put to sleep). Furthermore, we wish to draw your attention to the fact that our goal is not to eliminate animals through euthanasia, but rather to regulate the number of animals in Yerevan through sterilization and anti-epidemic measures, which the Stray Animal Sterilization Center has implemented during its one-year operation, evidenced by the presence of about 3000 sterilized and vaccinated against rabies animals on the streets of Yerevan to date.

Regarding rumors about unsanitary conditions at the clinic, this does not reflect reality. While it is true that the conditions are not ideal, as the premises were temporarily provided by the Armenian National Agrarian University, which, due to the previous government, is in an unrenovated and neglected state like many other similar institutions, the minimum surgical conditions have been maintained as much as possible. The decision to operate under such conditions was made considering the urgency of the mentioned issue and has in no way impacted the surgeries performed by our specialists, which is evidenced by the absence of post-surgical problems in the animals.

In summary, we would like to inform you that the clinic being constructed by the municipality will soon be ready and will meet the conditions and facilities required,” the announcement concluded.