Kherson Allocates ₴160K for Stray Dog Sterilization Amid Concerns

Kherson signed a contract for veterinary services for stray animals with local businessman Serhiy Bessarab. UAH 160 thousand was allocated from the budget for this purpose.

As it became known from the public procurement platform Prozorro, the services were provided without the use of an electronic procurement system and without an open tender.

The customer was the Kherson utility company Garantia.

According to the tender documentation, the company is to sterilize 80 dogs for UAH 160,000 to help control the city's dog population. The cost of one procedure will be UAH 2,000, which corresponds to the market price, which, depending on the breed and weight of the animal, can range from UAH 1,200 to 5,000.

The services will be provided by Serhii Bessarab, a sole proprietor who, according to the youcontrol analytical system, registered his business in March 2023. Since then, he has worked only with the municipal enterprise "Guarantee", fulfilling similar orders. In 2024, he not only sterilized animals, but also supplied the company with equipment for catching them. The total amount of contracts with Garantia last year amounted to UAH 215,750.

Before starting his own business, Serhiy Bessarab worked at the Kherson City State Veterinary Hospital. He quit his job just a few days before registering as a sole proprietor.

Meanwhile, in Odesa Oblast, the executive committee of the Izmail City Council approved adjustments to the 2025 program to regulate the number of stray animals in the city with a total budget of UAH 4 million. By 2025, 1,600 stray animals are to be sterilized, vaccinated, and identified with the participation of public associations and NGOs.

And in Mykolaiv, residents of a residential complex are raising the alarm about aggressive packs of stray dogs that attack people and pets. Uncontrolled breeding and constant feeding only aggravate the situation, and the authorities' inaction threatens to turn the problem into a critical one.

Earlier, it became known that cases of people being bitten by wild and rabies-infected pets have become more frequent in Mykolaiv and the region.

Андрій Колісніченко