The decision that bans the euthanasia of stray dogs, issued by the Chisinau Appeals Court in 2011, arrived at the Chisinau City Hall with a delay of four years. Contacted by IPN, head of the Law Division Diana Gurschi said the complaint submitted to court referred to the municipal cleanup company “Autosalubritate”, which finances itself and which has a jurist paid by the enterprise. The municipality wasn’t informed officially about the decision taken by the Appeals Court.

Diana Gurschi said she found out about the given court decision only now, after the protest staged by the animal protection NGOs. “We received no official decision from the Appeals Court. I don’t know if the decision is definitive and irrevocable. But, under the Civil Code, the deadline for filing an appeal starts when notice is taken of the decision. We do not deny the existence of such a court decision, but we indeed weren’t informed about it,” she stated.

On January 27, the initiative group “Protection of Animals in Moldova” called on the local authorities of Chisinau to stop killing the stray dogs. In a protest staged in front of the City Hall, members of the organization said the municipality continues to poison the stray dogs, violating a decision of the Appeals Court banning the euthanizing of animals without owners. The protesters demanded that Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca should organize a public debate where solutions may be identified to prevent the uncontrolled reproduction of stray dogs. For his part, Dorin Chirtoaca said the municipality will continue to reduce the number of stray dogs, including by euthanasia, until another solution is found.