In 2024, Bishkek municipal services shot 14,378 stray dogs in the Kyrgyz capital, raising criticism from animal rights activists who consider shootings an inhumane and ineffective way of solving the problem of stray animals. However, the Bishkek municipality insists that the city has no money for alternative solutions.
According to the Bishkek municipality’s program for the city’s socio-economic development, one of the ways to solve the problem of stray dogs is to build a shelter for homeless animals, but its construction and maintenance requires significant financial resources that are not provided for in the city budget.
According to the Bishkek Sanitary and Epidemiological Center, from 2015 to 2024, 27,455 people applied for anti-rabies vaccinations after bites of stray animals, including 21,701 people after dog bites. In 2024, 1,391 people sought anti-rabies vaccinations in Bishkek, including 949 children.
Today, there are no municipal shelters for stray animals in Bishkek, and the municipal enterprise, Tazalyk, continues shooting stray dogs in the city.
In February 2021, the shooting of stray dogs was suspended but soon resumed following numerous complaints from Bishkek residents about the danger of homeless dogs, especially for children.
Currently, a municipal program is working to catch, sterilize, and vaccinate stray dogs, but the issue of shootings still persists.
The municipality refers to world practice, where animal shelters are built and funded by charitable organizations.
