Animal rights activists have appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, demanding an investigation into the suspected unlawful killing of dogs and the burial of their remains, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reports.
The activists were prompted to act by a preview of an investigative report aired on the TV Pirveli channel (on the program “Saturday with Nodar Meladze”) on October 31. According to the advocates, the released footage shows the remains of dogs being buried under cover of darkness in a purpose-dug pit at a cemetery on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
Animal rights defenders have launched a petition demanding an immediate response from the supervisory authority, a forensic veterinary examination of the remains, and an official determination of the exact causes of the animals’ deaths.
The authors of the petition also noted that citizens across various regions of the country have been reporting the suspicious disappearances of dogs under their care.
The television broadcast featured a commentary noting that the body of one of the discovered dogs was still warm.
“This circumstance does not in itself prove the cause of death, but it raises serious questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the animals’ deaths, as well as the legality and humaneness of the euthanasia procedures,” the petition emphasizes.
The advocates insist on a thorough investigation into signs of potential crimes, including animal cruelty, embezzlement, abuse of official authority or official negligence, as well as the possible falsification or concealment of official records.
The authors of the petition demand that the Prosecutor’s Office:
- inspect the pit at the cemetery site, exhume all remains, and catalog them individually;
- order an independent post-mortem veterinary examination to establish the causes of death, the estimated time of death, and the nature of any injuries;
- check the remains for microchips, collars, and other identification tags;
- review reports from citizens concerning missing dogs and cross-reference their data with the discovered remains;
- audit the documentation justifying the euthanasia procedures and the strict-accountability logs for the substances used.
In addition, animal rights activists are demanding to know who ordered the burial of the dogs’ bodies, who handled their transportation and interment, and whether these actions complied with current legislation.
Another key demand of the petition is a comprehensive audit of official animal mortality and euthanasia statistics to rule out fraud, concealment, or underreporting.
“The public has the right to know how many animals died and under what circumstances; what methods and drugs were used for euthanasia; who made the decisions to put down the animals and bury their remains; to what extent the official statistics reflect the true state of affairs; and why the burial was carried out in secret and under the cover of night,” the petition states.
Activists are urging the Prosecutor’s Office to avoid formal brush-offs and conduct a full, independent investigation.
