Slaughter of stray cats and dogs to clean up streets for Euro 2012 condemned by animal lovers

By Sportsmail Reporter


Thousands of stray dogs and cats have been slaughtered in the Ukraine in a bid to tidy up the streets for Euro 2012.

Earlier this month the Kiev government said it was to stop shooting or poisoning strays after a public outcry.

Under threat: Stray dogs on the streets of Kiev


The authorities ordered that strays should be rounded up and taken to animal 'shelters'.

But Judith Pein, of the German branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), claimed the slaughter was still happening.

She told the Sun: 'It would be cruel to do this anyway, but to do it for football is outrageous. The people at these so-called shelters told us these were old and ill dogs, but there were puppies in there.'

Outcry: A dog sits on a banner reading 'We want to outlive EURO-2012' at a protest rally

In the capital Kiev, the group says as many as 20,000 have been slain in the past year.

A PETA UK spokesman said: 'These killings are directly related to Ukraine hosting Euro 2012. Dog-killing is a profitable business.'

PETA said it was not aware of strays being killed in Poland.


source:dailymail