Sochi plans mass killing of stray dogs ahead of Olympics

SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 02: Stray dogs wrestle outside the Bolshoy Ice Dome ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Olympic Park on February 2, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

A pair of dogs rough-house outside the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi. Local authorities have ordered the killing of stray dogs in time for the Winter Olympics, which begin this week.

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — A pest control company which has been killing stray dogs in Sochi for years told The Associated Press on Monday that it has a contract to exterminate more of the animals throughout the Olympics.

Alexei Sorokin, director general of pest control firm Basya Services, said his company is involved in what he described as the “catching and disposing” of dogs. Sorokin refused to specify whether they shoot or poison dogs or say where they take the carcasses.

Thousands of stray dogs are roaming the streets of Sochi, Sorokin said, and some of them are “biting children.”

Patrick Semansky/AP

Olympic organizers in Sochi want the city free of stray dogs during the Winter Olympics.

Sorokin said he attended a rehearsal of the Olympic opening ceremony last week and saw a stray dog walking in on the performers.

“A dog ran into the Fisht Stadium, we took it away,” he said. “God forbid something like this happens at the actual opening ceremony. This will be a disgrace for the whole country.”

Stray dogs are not uncommon in Sochi and the surrounding area, and many tend to gather near construction sites where they are likely to get food and shelter from workers. They have even been able to get inside the Olympic Park.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Two street dogs lie in the sun in downtown Sochi, which is days away from hosting the Winter Olympics.

Sorokin’s company operates in the Krasnodar region, which encompasses Sochi and the neighboring area. Sorokin refused to say how many dogs they kill a year, calling it “a commercial secret.”

Sergei Krivonosov, a lawmaker from the Krasnodar region, last year supported the dog culling.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

A local extermination company has been given a contract to exterminate Sochi's street dogs.

Krivonosov said taking the dogs off the street was Russia’s “responsibility to the international community and that their elimination is the quickest way to solve this problem.” He conceded, however, that this is “not the most humane way” of dealing with the problem and said that authorities should encourage dog shelters.

Sochi city hall last year announced a contract “to catch and dispose” of stray dogs in Sochi but animal activists vehemently protested the move. Authorities pledged to give up the practice and build animal shelters for stray dogs instead.

Activists say there is no evidence that a shelter has been built. The city hall would not immediately respond to the AP’s calls and emails seeking comment.

Shooting stray dogs has been common practice in many Russian regions despite activists’ efforts to push authorities for more humane ways of dealing with the issue.

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