Kazakhstan's Ecology Minister has signed a new order requiring citizens to find new owners for pets they wish to give up, reports infohub.kz.
The order, published in the Reference Control Bank of Regulatory Legal Acts, amends the "Model Rules for Keeping and Walking Pets" dated May 20, 2022.
The new rules stipulate that citizens who abandon a pet must find it a new home. "If further keeping of a pet is impossible, the owner and/or the responsible person shall take measures to rehome the pet, including by transferring it to an animal shelter, a temporary animal holding facility, or to individuals or legal entities capable of providing the necessary conditions for its keeping. When transferring a pet to a temporary holding facility, the owner or responsible person must ensure its upkeep until the animal's legal fate is determined," the order states.
The order also clarifies that abandoning an animal does not relieve the owner of responsibility. "Abandoning an animal does not terminate the obligations of the pet owner or responsible person towards the pet until ownership is transferred to another person, the pet is handed over to an animal shelter, or its legal fate is determined upon transfer to a temporary holding facility," the document says.
The order takes effect ten calendar days after its first official publication.