Published: 15 February 2019
The article examines the issue of jurisdiction division between government bodies of the RF subjects and local authorities in the field of handling stray animals, in connection with the latest changes in federal law. It is considered, that the attitude towards animals developed in the social media, the variety of mechanisms for their protection, the interaction level between population and authorities are indicators of development and maturity of both the social and legal level of social development. According to the research findings, nowadays, all the RF regions, without exception, face serious problems with regulating the number of animals without owners (hereinafter, stray animals) and ensuring control over them. The increase in stray animals number poses a real threat to the sanitary well-being, people’s health and lives, therefore the adoption of such a legislative act was a milestone and created legal prerequisites for addressing this problem. Based on the analysis, the author concludes that the current legal regulation does not clearly distinguish between the jurisdictions of different authority levels, does not meet the concept of the latest federal legislation and requires the adoption of a number of legal acts to properly consolidate the competence of public authorities in this field. It is particularly considered that the already existing regional legislation and the following municipal acts, should be revised, being precisely based on the regulations of the Law on responsible handling of animals, considering precisely its goals, general principles and features.