President enacts amendments to responsible animal treatment legislation

The text of the Law will be officially published in the press.

The Law on Responsible Animal Treatment strengthens the liability of owners for keeping and walking animals, imposes a duty to prevent harm to other people and their property, and provides for compensation of damages in cases where established requirements are violated.

The law introduces clarifying amendments. In particular:

• Regulation of the population of stray animals, including procedures and timelines, is transferred to the competence of akimats (local executive bodies);
• The definition of "stray animals" is clarified;
• Provisions regarding decisions on animal euthanasia based on veterinary certificates are supplemented, along with other clarifying amendments.

The core concept of the law remains unchanged. The model of non-recoverable trapping of free-ranging dogs remains in place and was supported by the Senate.

Earlier, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of fostering a culture of responsible treatment of animals, preventing cruelty, and strengthening the liability of animal owners.

Qazinform News Agency previously reported that Kazakhstan may consider introducing a dog ownership tax, following the example of European countries.