Stray dogs are a common sight around Sochi, Russia, the city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, but that won't be the case when the Games begin on Feb. 7.
Basya Services, a pest control company, confirmed to the Associated Press that they had been hired by Olympics officials to kill many of the estimated 2,000 dogs that trot around Sochi, all in the name of keeping a clean image for athletes and spectators.
See also: Sochi Olympics Off to Rough Start Before They Even Begin
The company has been killing stray dogs in Sochi long before the Olympics, but it ramped up its activity after a hound recently found its way onto the floor of an opening ceremony rehearsal. Basya Services' director general, Alexei Sorokin, declined to specify whether the animals would be shot or poisoned after they were rounded up, though accounts coming out of Sochi describe dogs spitting up and collapsing, both signs of poison.
Sochi city hall first announced the plan to dispose of strays in the last year, but the plan was quickly modified after officials listened to outraged animal rights activists. Instead, dogs would be rounded up and placed in shelters. According to CNN, such a shelter exists, but it was pieced together only in the last few days, which makes it appear more like media stunt meant to keep eyes off the killing than an actual attempt to house stray dogs.
This latest news is yet another example of how Russia is scrambling to make last-minute preparations for the start of the Olympics, but it is not the only country to eliminate populations of stray animals before the Games.
Greece had to deal with a similar problem in Athens before the 2004 Summer Olympics, according to Discovery News, and multiple outlets reported that Chinese officials in 2008 dealt with Beijing's 200,000 stray cats much the same way Russia is dealing with the dogs.
Sorokin, the director of Basya Services, told ABC News that the stray dogs were a safety hazard for athletes and spectators alike who could be subject to attacks or other interferences. “Let’s call things by their real name. These dogs are biological trash,” he said.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.