Proposes abolishing the option to put down wild animals due to owners’ breaches of the law

In response to the scandal that has arisen in recent days in the public sphere regarding the keeping of bears and lynx at a leisure complex in the Klaipėda district, Linas Jonauskas, a Social Democrat and Chair of the Seimas Committee on Environmental Protection, has tabled amendments to the law, proposing to abolish the possibility of euthanising or killing healthy wild animals solely because their owner has lost their licence to keep them.

The current regulations stipulate that, following the revocation of a permit to keep wild animals in captivity, within a period of no more than 30 calendar days as determined by the authority authorised by the Ministry of the Environment, the animals must, at the owner’s discretion, be transferred to other persons who are entitled to keep them and have suitable conditions for doing so. Alternatively, they may be allowed to die naturally or be euthanised in accordance with the requirements of the Animal Welfare and Protection Act.

In L. Jonauskas’s view, such regulation is flawed, and the euthanasia of a healthy animal is inconsistent with the principles of animal welfare.

„The euthanasia of an animal must be a last resort, applied for clear veterinary or safety reasons, rather than an administrative means of resolving a situation where an owner who has lost their licence has no one to whom to hand the animal over. The mere fact that a new keeper could not be found within the set time limit cannot constitute sufficient grounds for putting the animal down“, the MP maintains.

“The euthanasia of a healthy animal, in the absence of veterinary indications, an incurable disease, unbearable suffering or an immediate threat to the safety of people and other animals, is contrary to the principles of animal welfare“, he adds.

In the view of the Chair of the Seimas Committee on Environmental Protection, animals should be handed over to individuals or organisations that have the right and the appropriate conditions to care for them.

L. Jonauskas points out that Lithuania already has a Wildlife Care Centre, the purpose of which is – to take in, treat and rehabilitate wild animals that have been captured, confiscated or injured. Animals that have recovered and are able to live independently in the wild are released back into their natural habitats. Others, he says, may be handed over to individuals who have the right and suitable conditions to keep them.

„The state already has an institution capable of helping to find a suitable and humane solution for the animal. Therefore, legal regulation must be geared not towards the destruction of the animal, but towards its protection, temporary care, rehabilitation and responsible rehoming“,” says L. Jonauskas. 

In his view, steps should also be taken to ensure that the Wild Animal Care Centre is provided with the necessary resources and powers.

Jadvyga Bieliavska (ELTA)
Send all photos