By Shayan Holakouee and Mariko Natsarishvili
Photos By Mariko Natsarishvili
TBILISI, Dec 21(Tbilisi Times) - Despite the efforts of the Animal Monitoring Agency's (AMA) sterilization and castration programs, Tbilisi is facing a pressing crisis with its homeless animal population, aggravated by the absence of a recent census since 2015.
"The Animal Monitoring Agency, established in 2015, operates on globally recognized humane principles such as sterilization, castration, and vaccination,” said Giorgi Kobiashvili, the director of the Animal Monitoring Agency. “It is entrusted with managing homeless animal populations, ensuring adoption, proper housing, or return to suitable environments."
The agency's strategies hinge on census data, last updated in 2015, underscoring the necessity for essential legislative changes to regulate breeding and sales effectively. According to the AMA, regulations imposed by the Tbilisi City Council in 2015 mandating pet registration and identification, enforcement problems persist due to a lack of societal tradition regarding registration and inadequate record-keeping practices.
Back in 2021, the political party the "Citizens" proposed a draft law advocating administrative penalties for pet abandonment, but none of the versions have received official adoption. Despite efforts to align with European models, the Animal Monitoring Agency concedes the insufficiency of these measures, leading to an unaltered situation.The AMA allocated an approximate budget of 4 million GEL.
"Over the years, the agency's budget, fluctuating between 3 to 4 million GEL, has allocated over half towards salaries, bonuses, and rewards. In 2022, there was a notable surge in official bonuses and awards, while figures for sterilized, castrated, and vaccinated animals showed minimal variation," said Ana Abashidze, a researcher at the Governance Monitoring Centre.
Concerns have been raised by NGOs regarding the significant rise in freelancer compensation, urging a reduction to preserve control and transparency as per Georgian legislation. However, the absence of a viable research method for homeless animal registration since 2015 has impeded effective monitoring.
According to data sourced from the AMA, efforts to restrict breeding procedures have yielded lackluster results. Despite consistently conducting an average of six thousand castrations and sterilizations annually, Kobiashvili emphasizes the need for an annual increase, citing ongoing efforts to achieve this goal. By allocating nearly $19 million to the AMA between 2018 and 2022, only 25,800 homeless animals underwent spaying and neutering procedures. A substantial portion of the budget, approximately 11 million GEL, was allocated to official salaries, bonuses, rewards, and supplements.
1. Dog on sunny day in Tbilisi, YOTA Hotel yard
2. A man is petting a dog on a sunny day in Tbilisi, YOTA Hotel yard.3. Two Dogs on sunny day in Tbilisi, YOTA Hotel yard
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