'The harmful influence of the West': one of the countries in the world wants to ban the keeping of any pets, for disobedience - prison

In the Iranian capital Tehran, a wave of arrests has recently begun: the local police called walking dogs in parks a crime, so their owners are detained and pets are taken away, reports with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

“He looks at me with his beautiful innocent eyes and asks me to take him out for a walk. But I don’t dare, because we could be arrested,” says Mahsa, the owner of a small dog. The authorities explain the ban on dog walking by the need to “protect public safety.”

Meanwhile, Iran's parliament is considering a bill that would make it possible to own pets only with special permission.

Symbols of "Westernization"

As stated in the bill, in order to acquire a dog or cat, Iranians need to apply to a special government committee. At the same time, for the “import, purchase and sale, transportation and maintenance” of any pets, including rabbits and turtles, a fine of approximately $800 is provided.

According to the President of the Iranian Association of Veterinarians and opponent of the bill, Dr. Payam Mohebi, the debate on this issue began more than a decade ago. Then a group of Iranian deputies proposed to confiscate the dogs from their owners and send them to zoos or abandon them in the desert.

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“During this time, they changed the bill several times and even discussed corporal punishment for dog owners. But as a result, the project went nowhere,” says Mokhebi.

Residents of rural areas of Iran have always kept dogs, but in the XNUMXth century, pets also became a symbol of urbanization.
Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to pass animal protection laws. In 1948, the first state organization to monitor compliance with them appeared here. Even members of the royal family had dogs.

Everything changed the Islamic revolution of 1979, which ended with the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. It affected many areas of life in Iran, including those related to pets.

In Islamic tradition, dogs are considered “dirty” animals. In the eyes of the new regime, they also symbolized the West and its way of life, which the Iranian authorities were trying to eradicate.

“There have never been clear rules governing dog ownership,” said Dr. Ashkan Shemirani, a veterinarian in Tehran.

“Police officers are arresting people for walking their dogs or even just transporting them in their cars. And this is only done because they see dogs as a symbol of Westernization,” explains Shemirani.

According to him, the authorities even created a “prison” for seized pets. “We've heard a lot of horror stories about this place,” he adds. “The animals are kept in the open air without proper food and water, and the owners get into a lot of problems with the law.”

The new bill restricting pet ownership also comes as Iran's economy struggles due to years of Western sanctions. Three years ago, Iranian authorities banned the import of foreign-made animal feed into the country - this was explained by measures to preserve the country's foreign exchange reserves.

In a situation where foreign products dominated the shelves, prices skyrocketed, especially after the emergence of the black market.

“We are very dependent on people who smuggle food,” laments the owner of one of the veterinary clinics in Mashhad. “In just a few months, prices have increased fivefold.”

The veterinarian notes that the quality of local animal feed is very low and does not meet the standards, factories often use meat and fish of very low quality, or even ingredients that have expired.

Problems of Persian cats

The new bill, however, concerns not only dogs, but also cats and other pets (even crocodiles are mentioned there). This is despite the fact that Iran is the birthplace of Persian cats, one of the most popular breeds in the world.

“How can you even imagine that Persian cats will now be unsafe in their own homeland?” — a veterinarian at a clinic in Tehran is indignant in a conversation with a correspondent. “There is no logic in this law,” he adds. “They just want to show people their iron fist.”

The President of the Iran Veterinarians Association, Dr. Mohebi, considers this project shameful. “If Parliament passes this law, the next generations will remember us as the people who banned dogs because they were dogs and cats because they were cats,” Mohebi says.

Pet owners in Iran, such as Masha, are seriously worried about the future of their pets.

“I won’t even try to ask permission for my “son,” she explains. - What if they refuse? I can’t throw him out into the street.”

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