Since the moment the authorities of Kazakhstan announced the mandatory microchipping of pets starting from September 1st, the people of Kazakhstan have been taken aback. Animal activists have launched a petition against these measures. Citizens don’t understand the officials’ calm attitude towards this fact. They are convinced that the expenses for the implemented procedure will lead to a mass abandonment of pets in the country. This means that the number of homeless animals could increase.
No Guarantees
One half of the Kazakhstan population resolved the issue in a simple way – by deliberately refusing to microchip their pets. The law was introduced, but it’s not guaranteed that the authors of the project themselves will conscientiously adhere to its provisions. For those who are concerned about their unfulfilled obligation, the situation is morally more complex. On one hand, they don’t want to subject their beloved domestic animals to questionable chips and also provide personal data to unknown parties.
The personal data of the owners of these four-legged companions ends up in the databases of private individuals, and during the registration on the «Tanba» website, it’s necessary to agree to terms where they honestly warn that «neither the owners nor the developers of ‘Tanba’ bear any responsibility for data leaks, as it’s a private database.» So, this situation seems to resemble a violation of the law that is meant to safeguard the personal data of Kazakh citizens.
No Getaway
In addition to this, the authors of the high-profile microchipping law have recently been contemplating the introduction of another tax: a tax on animals. In other words, by registering an animal, its owner would essentially be obligated to pay a tax for the pet, since the government would be aware of its existence. There would be no way to avoid it. For those who do not wish to deceive the government, there are a few options in this situation: the first is to obediently fulfill all the requirements, and the second is to quietly dispose of the animal by releasing it onto the streets.
It seems that animal lovers will, in this way, also be penalized for their affection with monthly levies that resemble fines more than taxes. Moreover, considering that the majority of pets are kept by retirees, they will now have to choose between their own sustenance and their compassion.
It gives the impression that unscrupulous officials urgently needed a way to launder money, and once again they’ve chosen to do so through the people. Moreover, it’s done in a questionable manner that doesn’t guarantee even basic safety for the pets.
At the moment, the only thing known about the chips that are intended to be implanted in pets like Shariк and Murka is that they are being procured for 250 Kazakh tenge from the Chinese, yet veterinary clinics plan to charge between 5,500 and 10,000 tenge for their installation. Additionally, these chips won’t function anywhere else except within the territory of Kazakhstan, which speaks volumes about the situation.
Our Money
Government representatives assure that the infamous chip will make it easier for the owner to locate their pet. However, it has recently come to light that there is no tracking system within the device. The person who finds the animal will only be able to take the found pet to the nearest veterinary clinic, and the vets will then be able to identify the owner based on the database. In this case, wouldn’t it be simpler to purchase special tags attached to collars for pets? They are inexpensive, and you can directly indicate the address within a special pendant. The person who finds the pet will immediately return it to the owner.
Instead of that, it seems the authors of the law were considering conducting raids themselves to check for the presence of non-microchipped animals. This idea is questionable, as citizens are unlikely to warmly welcome law enforcement officers opening their doors. However, officially, the authorities have backed away from this plan. What else to expect from this initiative remains unclear.
It’s only clear that officials will take advantage of the situation to line their pockets, as has happened before.
According to data from the Ministry of Ecology, during the first nine months of the previous year, 178.3 thousand dogs and cats were captured in the country’s cities, with the majority of them being strays. Out of these, 75.4 percent of the animals, or 134.4 thousand individuals, were euthanized. Only 4.8 thousand street animals, or just 2.7 percent, were vaccinated, sterilized, and released back into the wild.
As a result, it appears that the funds allocated from the pockets of Kazakh citizens for the preservation of the lives of homeless animals, which were meant to be microchipped, neutered, sterilized, and vaccinated, were simply wasted. Perhaps it’s long overdue for the higher authorities to find out where the money from law-abiding taxpayers of the country is going.
