Public Association for Animal Protection “EGIDA” was registered in Minsk on December 19, 2006 by Justice Department of Municipal Executive Committee. But even before the association was registered, people united by love of animals and compassion to them did all their best for stray animals’ sake. Those people’s aim was to change the existing “capture and disposal of animals” system and improve the conditions of animals’ stay at temporary shelters. (There are few temporary shelters on the territory of Belarus. In most cases stray animals are shot, strangled, killed with exhaust gases, electrocuted, or exterminated by other barbaric means.)

If someone says that people who have joined Public Association for Animal Protection have nothing else to do, have no private lives or any other personal concerns, they will be sadly mistaken. Just the other way round. The association is composed of educated, intelligent family people who have both job and family responsibilities. They have one more feature in common: a burning desire to help abandoned, lost animals, or the ones that have never had an owner or a home. These people possess absolutely SANE human feelings of kindness, pity, compassion towards weak and pained LIVING creatures. Members of Public Association for Animal Protection acknowledge that ALL LIVING BEINGS HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE.

Public Association for Animal Protection “EGIDA” runs a shelter for dogs and a shelter for cats. The patronized animals are kept, treated and sterilized at the association members’ own expense. The state does not render any assistance to animal protectors. Many animals are brought to these shelters from Municipal Animal Control Organization and Temporary Shelter “Fauna Goroda”, located in Minsk. As a rule, such animals are stressed out and very, very sick. They have to be paid a lot of attention to, till they learn to trust human beings again. Thanks to the shelters run by the association numerous animals have found loving and caring owners. Unfortunately, some animals have already spent a year, two or even three at the shelter… Still, the hope that they will be noticed and adopted by someone has not died.

Members of Public Association for Animal Protection “EGIDA” organize meetings with school-children, cooperate with mass media, hold promotional events where patronized cats and dogs are showcased with a view of finding new families for them, help people to protect their pets’ rights, support economically disadvantaged people who run “domestic shelters”.

Members of Public Association for Animal Protection “EGIDA” DO NOT do this for their own sake, their own benefit, profit or for the sake of glory. They do this just because they are PEOPLE. Strong, responsible, kind people willing to help those who are weaker than they, willing to put an end to the barbaric massacre of helpless creatures, hoping that kindness and common sense will prevail over barbarity and cruelty.