A call on Russia at the Olympics to put an end to animal fighting as done in the Middle Ages
A new investigation reveals that in Russia, bears are captured, chained up and fed to dogs being tested for their hunting abilities.
One Voice and Baltic Animal Care are today launching an international campaign to reveal what wild animals used as living tools for assessing the abilities of hunting dogs in Russia are subjected to.
One Voice investigators focused on Russia’s national symbol, the brown bear, which will also be one of the symbols of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. They visited four hunting dog training centres in four different regions of Russia. There they discovered seven bears and the worst cases of animal suffering they have encountered since they began their work several decades ago.
They filmed bears in chains, as well as badgers and wild boars locked up, chased and attacked by Laikas, a Russian breed of hunting dogs. They met the judges who presided over the trials and graded the dogs according to old rules, based in particular on tracking, barking, aggression and courage. In these trials, aggression is rewarded. In a test on a bear, for example, the dog will get a good score if it bites the bear deeply in the hocks, heels or hindquarters, but it will lose points if it retreats or does not bite hard enough.
Each time the dog fails to meet an established criterion, points are deducted from a maximum possible score of 100. For example, if its bites are not strong enough, the dog will lose up to 8 points; if it barks but does not bite the bear, it will lose 10 points; and if it moves away from the bear instead of biting it, it will lose between 10 and 15 points.
Given that a ‘test’ normally lasts ten minutes and that several dogs are assessed each day, the same wild animal can be used as a target multiple times.
The price to pay for causing a wild animal to suffer in this way is not high. One Voice investigators noted that a ten-minute test cost between 200 and 400 roubles, or approximately £2 to £4.
In Russia, these activities are referred to as ‘trials’ or ‘field tests’. They are officially supported by dog breeding associations and hunting clubs. According to available information, there are several dozen or even several hundred such training centres in Russia. They are advertised on public roads, in the press and on the Internet. Various wild species are used to train and test hunting dogs: badgers, bears, foxes, martens and raccoon dogs. These animals are usually captured in the wild, but One Voice investigators have discovered that bears are sometimes purchased from circuses or zoos. Various breeds of dogs take part, including Laikas, Borzois and Dachshunds.
Dogs that prove themselves can then participate in regional, inter-regional or national competitions, as well as international competitions. Dogs that do not perform satisfactorily may be refused their pedigree. For Laikas, for example, obtaining a pedigree requires passing several field trials, where they are confronted with different animals, including a captive bear.
The One Voice investigation revealed the total disregard that Russian hunting dog training centres have for nature and the needs of wild animals. They are thus completely out of step with the international community, which promotes knowledge and protection of wildlife and animal welfare.
One Voice and Baltic Animal Care are calling on the international public to take action by writing to President Putin and their country’s Russian ambassador to demand better protection for animals and a ban on the use of wild animals in hunting dog trials.
Notes:
1. The paper version of the report, as well as the English version, can be obtained on request by calling 02 51 83 18 10 or via the contact form.
2. Laikas – In Russian, the word ‘Laika’ is derived from the verb ‘layât’, which means to bark. Laikas are descended from indigenous dogs and have long been used as hunting and guard dogs. There are four recognised breeds in Russia: the Karelian-Finnish Laika, the Russian-European Laika, the West Siberian Laika and the East Siberian Laika. The latter three are among the breeds listed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). The Karelian-Finnish Laika is a close relative of the Finnish Spitz, and these two breeds were merged in 2006.
3. Animal protection legislation in Russia – the only animal protection referred to in this study is the limited protection against physical suffering granted to animals by the Criminal Code in Part 2, Section IX, Chapter 25, Article 245, which states: ‘Any act of cruelty towards an animal that has caused death or injury, if perpetrated with malice or for profit, or using sadistic methods, or in the presence of minors, shall be punished (…)’ At first glance, it would seem that this legislation could be applied to prevent the suffering of wild animals in hunting dog training centres. However, Elena Bobrova of Baltic Animal Care explains that attempts to enforce this legislation have failed, as the responsible authorities have deemed hunting dog training centres to be legal. New legislation is urgently needed to prevent wild animals from continuing to be captured and used to evaluate hunting dogs in Russia.