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Less than half a year before the beginning of the European Games in Baku the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) called on the authorities in Azerbaijan to stop the abuse of stray dogs. The appeal was made after a video showing how the stray dogs were burnt appeared on the Internet, Russian service of BBC reports. 

According to the article, in an interview with the BBC, Ruud Tombrok, the European Director of WSPA, stated that as long as Azerbaijan has signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, such kind of cruelty comes as a direct violation of its principles.

Ruud Tombrok highlighted that dealing with the issue of stray animals is a long process needing a comprehensible study of the facts, with a simultaneous program of sterilizing animals to gradually reduce their livestock. He called on the authorities of Azerbaijan to “immediately put an end to the abuse of those helpless animals.”

The BBC reminds that a number of photos and videos have recently appeared on the Internet which leave no space to doubt in the abuse of stray animals in the country.

“It is likely that the killed dogs are dumped in one place and burnt afterwards. There are puppies among the killed dogs, too,” the agency writes adding that the Azerbaijani social networks have ‘blown up’ with the indignant comments after the video appeared showing the burning of the stray dogs in an incineration plant in the settlement of Balakhani. The heads and legs of the stray dogs are seen in the ovens of burning waste.

The first video was shot by defender of the rights of the animals Elena Simakina on 27 February. Her own dog was shot in the street in Baku. She found out who were those people and started to follow them. This brought her to the oven the corpses of the dogs were burnt in, the BBC writes.

As the article has it, the video of the ovens of burning corpses was quickly removed from the social networks, as they say, on the demand of a top official. However, the Azerbaijani online TV channel MeydanTV soon published it own footages of burning stray dogs in Baku. The journalists claim that was taking place on a territory under City Hall’s possession. 

The BBC turned to Elkhan Mirzoyev, animals’ defender from Azerbaijan, for comments. He said that the large-scale campaign was going on all over the country. He could not call it by other name than genocide of fauna. He claimed that the workers of Baku City Hall shoot at big dogs, beat the puppies with shovels to save bullets, and poison cats. The same was going on in Sheki and in Sumgait. 

“For example, shooting of the stray dogs in Lerik went on under local police surveillance. Lerik is also notorious for illegal hunting. The employees of different ministries go there to have a rest and shoot boars, wolves, rabbits, birds. All this bypasses the existing legislation. A real genocide is going on,” Mirzoyev protested, assuming that behind the merciless extermination of the dogs were huge financial interests.

The Azerbaijani animal defender said that he was talking about corruption and money laundering. He considers that the Azerbaijani government is hosting that sporting event at the cost of the blood of thousands of innocent animals.

“It is not we who spoil Azerbaijan’s reputation but those who kill animals. It is stated by law that the rights of the animals should be observed,” Mirzoyev stressed.

“The current events added fuel to the fire of the passions raging since the contest Eurovision that took place in Baku in 2012. Then, as the activists claimed, the government officials were also engaged in shooting stray animals. Three years ago more than 22 thousand signatures were gathered for the protection of the animals,” the BBC writes

See also: The Independent: Homeless animals shot, beaten and burnt ahead of European Games in Baku

Azerbaijani media: Real “genocide” of stray dogs in Baku ahead of European Games