OIPA International and OIPA Azerbaijan sent official letters to the main local, national and international institutions in Azerbaijan over a month ago.
How many of them do you think gave us an answer? Yes, you’re right, NONE!!!
In the letters, we expressed our deep disappointment with the situation concerning the Azerbaijani stray dogs in Baku and the country as a whole which are constantly threatened to death by the Executive Authority and the Toplan’s personnel.
Maybe local authorities are not interested in solving this problem since it should be a complex work. The money allocated from budget to solve the problem does not go to the destination; it is not used for its intended purpose. Moreover, the executive power department hires people for extra charge for mass shot in the night.
And the crazy thing is, the government does not want to accept assistance from local animal rights defenders and volunteers. All stray dogs, even those already caught / neutered/ vaccinated and identified by local volunteers, are kept to be trapped by “TOPLAN” animal centre and sentenced to death!!
In her role of representative of OIPA Azerbaijan, Ilhama Nasirova came up with a list of ten requests to the Azerbaijani public authorities, please sign this petition! Let our voices unite! They must listen to us!
Send a letter of protest adressed to the Azerbaijani Head of Government and Foreign Minister, asking for the following:
1- Create an ad hoc commission for the purpose of conducting a full inspection of Toplan’s activities engaging the public in accordance with the requirements of the Law ‘On Public Participation’ (‘İctimai iştirakçılıq haqqında’) in order to facilitate the constant passage of animal rights defenders and journalists through the territory of the centre.
2- Implement the declared policy of TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Reintroduction in the former habitat) countering acts of killing and dumping in unknown places, establishing a punishment mechanism for its lack of implementation, and enact an animal protection law and its enforcement.
3- Perform an active work to curb and prevent the massacre of stray dogs and punish the responsible people through the enforcement of the animal protection law. In particular, the mass cull actions towards stray dogs during the night by the employees of housing and the communal services department of the Executive Power must be stopped and they must be punished.
4- We ask the complete withdrawal of the responsibility of the stray dog population control from the Housing and Communal Services Department of Executive Authority !As the Executive Power of Azerbaijan has not coped with the task that proves the experience of the last 30 years – they only achieved the shame of the country and many innocent souls deaths.
5- Fire and replace the Toplan’s employees, who apply violence to animals, with valid personnel showing good attitude towards dogs. Stop toplan activity and start with new staff and show where are all trapped stray dogs from the day it is opened.
6-Each capture of the stray dog must be accompanied by detailed information with photos or videos, indicating the address of the capture, treatment, release date to the former habitat. This information has to be proclaimed on the official website guaranteeing transparency in a short time. In addition, the rescued stray dogs should be reintroduced in their former habitats, whenever possible.
7- Establish a widespread system of feeders and kennels for stray dogs, placing banners with warnings and references to the national legislation in their proximity ̶ about the inadmissibility of cruel treatments to animals, as well as about the consequences of such treatment.
8- Stop the dogs’ demonization among the population and stop the slander on dogs, which is particularly widespread in Azerbaijan, as well as the campaign of slander against animal defenders! Furthermore, it is important to prevent the animal care centre from performing a negative attitude towards animal such as publishing negative materials and calls to exterminate the stray dogs, where people have generally a negative stance towards stray dogs (see TOPLAN Animal Care Centre on their Facebook and Instagram accounts).
9- Promoting a public campaign in order to educate people towards a positive stance in relation to stray dogs. The campaign is directed also to counter the illegal animal sale points, which buy and breed animals. Hence, achieving the implementation of the law against the illegal breeding of dogs so as to stop the import of non-sterilized dogs.
10- Declare the status and role of Mubariz Huseynov (the main anti-hero for the animal protection movement of Azerbaijan) at the Toplan Center.
The executive power in Azerbaijan has proven its incompetence over the years and failed to cope with the problem with stray dogs. We hope to receive reply from Azerbaijani institutions soon. Local animal protection associations and animal lovers and volunteers are ready for any kind of help and can’t wait to see some steps towards the application of humane methods to the stray dogs issue in the country.
