The petition on the creation of zoo police in Ukraine has received the necessary number of signatures - 25 thousand. Now it will be considered by the government.
At the beginning of March, Maryna Surkova, a lawyer and vice-president of the "Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine", proposed a petition calling on the Cabinet of Ministers to instruct the Ministry of Internal Affairs to create an appropriate animal police unit within the National Police and to develop the necessary regulatory and legal framework for its functioning.
Surkova emphasizes that the zoo police should not only respond to cases of cruelty to animals, but also monitor whether the owners of animals comply with the rules of their keeping.
She cites examples of animal cruelty, such as mass poisoning of homeless dogs, improper transportation, beating or keeping them on a short leash. According to Surkova, the police mostly do not possess a sufficient level of knowledge to counteract these phenomena, or are simply inactive.
Previously, a fine of 850 hryvnias was prescribed for cruel treatment of animals. However, since 2017, the responsibility has been increased - you can be imprisoned for a period of two to eight years in the event of the death of an animal or the infliction of bodily harm on it. In 2021, the composition of the administrative and criminal offense was distinguished in this regard.
"Investigative and judicial practice shows that many of those people who abused animals later committed serious crimes against human life and health. Research by Yale University has shown that 80% of those convicted of violent crimes have a history of harming or killing animals," says Maryna Surkova.
