Chisinau to add 1,500 places to stray dog shelter
Chisinau City Hall plans to expand the municipal stray animal shelter by 1,500 places next year, while increasing sterilisation and veterinary services to address a growing dog population.
Shelter capacity to increase by 1,500 places
The number of stray dogs in the Moldovan capital is rising, partly because animals are being brought in from other localities. Existing shelter facilities and sterilisation programmes are insufficient to manage the situation, Mayor Ion Ceban acknowledged.
“We receive many calls from residents, and we have decided together to increase capacity. The site currently has room for about 800 animals. It also has an operating theatre, where dogs are sterilised and cared for, including those that are more aggressive,” Ceban said during a visit to the municipal stray animal centre on November 11.
Animals brought to the centre receive food, care and veterinary services, including sterilisation. Dogs that meet the requirements set out in current procedures are subsequently returned to the areas where they were captured. The facility is therefore not intended to provide permanent accommodation for every animal.
Dogs allegedly brought in from other localities
One of the problems facing the municipality is the transportation of stray dogs from other localities and their abandonment in different parts of Chisinau, according to the mayor.
Ceban said groups of 10, 15 or even 20 dogs were sometimes brought into the capital and left there. He also highlighted cases in which puppies are abandoned near waste collection sites.
Additional sterilisation and veterinary services
The shelter's capacity is to be expanded by a further 1,500 places. The authorities also plan to increase the number of sterilisation procedures, including by contracting private companies to provide additional services.
The project also provides for expanded veterinary intervention capacity, allowing more animals to receive treatment and undergo sterilisation.
“We will increase capacity from the 800 places currently available by another 1,500. Veterinary capacity for sterilisation will also increase, along with the facilities needed for operations. We will also contract private companies to provide additional sterilisation services,” Ceban said.
Preparatory work on the project is under way, with the expansion scheduled for 2027.
Authorities seek to encourage adoptions
The mayor said the number of adoption requests remained lower than the authorities would like. Residents were more inclined to abandon animals than to provide them with a home, he added.
Encouraging adoptions is therefore one of the measures included in the municipality's plan to reduce the number of stray dogs in the capital.
Chisinau City Hall spends almost €0.9 million (approx. 18 million MDL) annually on maintaining the animal shelter and managing services for stray animals.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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