There are very few animal shelters in Mongolia. There might be even a person who has never heard of it. On the other hand, a question arises as to why animals need shelters. We often see animals that have been abandoned on the street or suffered from car accidents and cannot even close their eyes on the side of the road. We are talking about places that receive and care for those animals.
5-6 MILLION MNT SPENT MONTHLY ON VET SERVICES
“Khuurkhun zulzaga” NGO is an organization that has already been approved by citizens as an animal shelter. The organization has eight main members. They hold their operation in the yard of “Khaanii zam” resort whilst on the road to Nairamdal camp, located 14 km away from the center of Ulaanbaatar. We were greeted by a clean environment surrounded by metal bars when we visited. There were doghouses on the left side of the yard. Each dog has its own wooden house. Some of them seem to be sunbathing on the roofs of their houses.
Five or six children were petting and playing with the dogs. They came to familiarize themselves with the activities of the organization. The dog area is fully equipped with lighting. Over 10 lights are charged by solar energy. The organization’s dog trainer S.Munkh-Erdene said, “I started working in March 2022. Dogs behave like humans. Dogs are let loose during daily training. Since there are many dogs at once,it is challenging to train them all because they get excited when they see each other. The dogs haven’t been together since they were kids and they come from all different places, so I’m focusing on getting them used to each other. Dogs abandoned by their owners become timid. When training a dog, you cannot frighten or spoil them. Dogs who are constantly tied up can become temperamental. If they are older than two years, it is much more difficult to train them. Dogs aged five months to two years of age are most suitable for training. As for me, I previously worked as a dog trainer in the National Emergency Management Agency and worked with service dogs to detect illegal raw materials.”
Member of “Khuurkhun zulzaga” B.Bayanmunkh presented the organization’s activities. He has been working in the organization for a year. Before, he used to come with his friend during his free time and would take care of the animals. Fur-
ther, he started working at the animal shelter because of interest. He spends his days taking care of the animals and preparing food for them.
There are 73 cats in a metal container on the south-west side of the yard. They go to their sunbathing area through the window of their home. The resting area has a metal mesh fence and threebunk beds for cats. Most cats have names. For example, the first cat to arrive is called Nyamdorj. Some have fancy necklaces and clothes. The cat house is warm. However, there are a lot of cats and due to lack of ventilation, it had a bad smell. A small ger is in the middle of the courtyard, which is the kitchen. When I entered the ger, three pots worth 20-liter of soup were boiling. They feed the dogs once a day. In doing so, six pots of food are prepared the day before. They buy ingredients from markets. For example, 50 kg of animal by-products are collected and used for cooking. Millet rice costs 68,000 MNT and buckwheat rice 75,000 MNT in a large packet. In general, about 350,000 MNT is required for the day-to-day operation of the shelter. In addition, they pay 3 million MNT per month for electricity. They also cooperate with “Ikh Mongol”, “City paws”, “Amar”, and “Ub vet” veterinary hospitals and spends 5-6 million MNT a month. They mentioned that they currently owe 20 million MNT to those vets due to poor funding. To reduce this expense, the organization is planning to open a veterinary hospital next year. Dogs and cats here are fully treated and vaccinated. As for the sick ones who are undergoing treatment, special homes are built for them.
B.Bayanmunkh said, “Member responsible for foreign relations of our organization, G. Robert organizes the adoption of dogs and cats to foreign countries. We monitor the adopted animals to make sure they are well taken care of. A prospective adopter meets the animal they wish to adopt regularly for a period of three months. Members of the organization need to observe how the person interacts with the animals. When adopting, it is enough to come with the identification of the place of residence and the identity card. The organization regularly checks the living conditions of the adopted animals. They said that there has been no case of the owner bringing it back due to negligence. He also said, “You need to constantly communicate with animals. They understand everything like humans. Spay surgery should also be performed. Raising animals takes a lot of time and effort. So do not get a pet for a momentary interest. In addition, they should get immune booster every season.”
“Khuurkhun zulzaga” has a pet store, “Friend”. Everything pets need is there. One dose of dog vaccine costs 30,000 MNT, 25,000 MNT for cats, and 15,000 MNT per heartworm preventives. Puppies and kittens are given three doses of vaccine 21 days apart.
NO ONE MEETS CRITERIA FOR DOG ADOPTION
M.Ariunsanaa established the first animal care center in Mongolia when she started taking abandoned animals off the streets. The care center is named “UB shelter” and was established in 2017. Currently, there are 105 dogs and six cats. The organization, who have been renting places since its establishment, have moved this year as well. They are currently located in Nalaikh District. They said that the old land located in Bayanzurkh District has not yet been fully handed over, so there are some animals left. Founder M.Ariunsanaa is a graphic designer. He stopped working in his profession because he could not
have a double job. Due to the lack of manpower at the animal shelter, M.Ariunsanaa takes the animals for treatment in his car.
In the new building, a long-lasting stove and a bed were placed. He says there are 30 dogs outside, but as soon as the peak cold weather begins, they will be brought inside. When looking for a place to rent, they said that they choose the location based on the possibility of a home where the animal can live, which can be repaired later. Finding a rental house takes four to five months. They pay 500,000 MNT per month for rent. They do not use electricity. Because they prefer spending the electricity cost of about 70,000-80,000 MNT for food for the pets. They do not cooperate with any veterinary hospitals. They try to treat colds and flu at home. The center has six members, but M.Ariunsanaa spends most of his time taking care of the dogs. He said, “It would be nice to have our own place instead of going through a rental house. Our animals are well socialized. There were no cases of people being attacked. When it comes to adopting a dog, there are no qualified people.”
He continued, “There are cases where dogs are adopted and then returned, lost, or given to someone else. There are over 10 dogs that have returned. When adopting, we look at the person’s attitude and characteristic. Families with young children cannot adopt. All members of the family must accept the dog. My dogs are my children. They become psychologically broken for being thrown away after nurturing them well. A shelter was established out of compassion for animals that were about to freeze to death and were hit by cars. We are currently unable to accept additional animals. However, people bring and leave them here. There are people and organizations that help. For the past year, a team of volunteers from the US Embassy has been helping. The most important thing for us is pet food. It is impossible to store animal by-products in an environment
without electricity. Some dogs cannot eat cooked food. That is why we buy special food.”
For the first time in Mongolia, we have developed a project for law on domestic animals and it is being discussed in the parliament currently. The draft law is characterized by the participation of representatives of organizations working for the protection of animal rights. The founder of UB Shelter NGO, M.Ariunsanaa participated in the presentation of this draft law to the Speaker of the Parliament G.Zandanshatar. M.Ariunsanaa said, “Due to the lack of legal framework for protection, there are many animals suffering from negligence by owners. I hope that the law will solve the problem. The adoptive owner is responsible. The activities of people who are engaged in animal breeding business will be reduced. But, even if there is a
law in Mongolia, it is not implemented.”
RESPONSIBILITY, STRONG DISCIPLINE, KNOWLEDGE, AND CONSISTENCY REQUIRED
Cat home cafe is an interesting place for people who want to care for and love cats. University students run this place. The interior decoration can be named “Cat Mansion”. General organizer B.Egshiglen said, “There are so many stray cats and dogs in Mongolia that makes me sad. Keeping pets requires not only responsibility, discipline, knowledge, and persistence, but also
sincerity. I want everyone to be raised to love animals. Raising a child with animals from an early age can help them become compassionate and humane. By enforcing the law, people will be more responsible when it comes to keeping animals. Furthermore, the number of stray cats and dogs will decrease. I believe that the attitude of treating animals as objects will disappear.”
Ts.ZORIGLON: ALL PETS WILL BE REGISTERED
The Bill on Animals is in the final discussion stage of Parliament. Head of “Lucky Paws” NGO Ts.Zoriglon was included in the working group for drafting the law. He clarified the results of the implementation of the law.
Why was the draft law on pets initiated?
In 2019, Lucky Paws conducted a poll on social media regarding the initiation of the pet law and more than 20,000 people supported it. Votes were also collected in paper form. In 2021, for the first time in Mongolia, a comprehensive survey of pets was conducted for three months. Based on the research, it was determined that Mongolia needs a legal framework for the protection of pets. In the same year, we contacted Member of Parliament B.Enkhbayar and in September, he established
a working group with 10 lawyers. People think that pet law only applies to animals. It is not an animal problem; it is a social problem. According to research, there are 220,000 households that keep animals. Yet, 1.8-2 billion MNT is spent to kill 80,000-100,000 dogs in only Ulaanbaatar. Children going to school early in the morning see the process of shooting dogs. Seeing this has a negative effect on the child’s psyche. Also, the dead dogs are buried in the Tsagaan Davaa garbage dump, causing soil pollution. Annually, 3,500 to 4,000 people visit the Hospital for Injury and Trauma for dog bites. About 40 percent of them are under 15 years of age, which is a social problem. In 2017, it was determined that there were about 250,000 stray animals. According to the 2023 capital census, there are more than 160,000 stray dogs and cats. This is the result of neutering
surgery that was started several years ago.
Issues related to pets were previously regulated by other laws. What are the advantages of having an independent law?
Breeding dogs and cats will be controlled. By becoming a legal entity, you will have the right to breed dogs and cats. With this control, the animals will not be abandoned on the street. All pets must be registered. Pets used to be registered at household addresses. According to this law, a citizen with legal capacity has the right to own a dog or cat. When a dog bites a person, there is no owner responsible. But in the future, the owner will be responsible. The purpose of the law is to protect animal rights and public health. Animal registration is essential for good law enforcement. The 2023 Livestock and Pets Census to be organized by the National Statistics Office will be preparation for the implementation of this law.
Are provisions related to neutering surgery included in the Law on Pets?
Anyone who wants to breed will get a permit. If not, you must get neutering surgery. Institutions are also subject to permission as they may breed animals under the name of shelters.
