“The majority of potential licensees are individual entrepreneurs who own small zoos and petting farms. Rosselkhoznadzor regrets that these individuals often ignore the requirements that came into force, and fail to apply for a license as required by law,” the regulator explained.
According to Rosselkhoznadzor, there are about 600 organizations that keep and use animals for cultural and entertainment purposes (in accordance with OKVED, the Russian classifier of economic activity).
Also, there are around 500 organizations (which fall under the other subgroups of OKVED) that keep and use animals for entrepreneurial activities in the field of culture, sports, leisure and entertainment. These organizations can also apply for a license, pointed out the regulator.
All circuses, zoos, dolphinariums, aquariums and other organizations and individual entrepreneurs that keep and use animals for cultural and entertainment purposes have been reminded that they have until January 1, 2022 obtain a license, said a spokesperson for Rosselkhoznadzor.
As of December 3, 2021, 302 applicants applied for a license with Rosselkhoznadzor.
“We issued 110 licenses. Among the licensees are Rosgostsirk, the Great Moscow State Circus on Prospect Vernadskogo, the Kuklachev Cat Theater, the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve (St. Petersburg), the Museum of the World Ocean (Kaliningrad), the largest Russian zoos, as well as a number of other businesses, the majority of which are located in the Krasnodarski Krai or the Republic of Crimea," said the spokesperson for Rosselkhoznadzor.
At the same time, 52 applicants were denied a license for incompliance with the licensing requirements, the spokesperson for Rosselkhoznadzor noted. Application packages were returned to 14 applicants for completion of the required information, added the spokesperson.
“Currently, 136 applications filed by business entities in the first half of November are pending,” clarified the regulator. The spokesperson for the regulator noted that the majority of license applications are filed at the end of the year.
The regulator reminded that under the current law, starting from 1 January 2022 officials of the organizations that keep and use animals for cultural and entertainment purposes without a license from Rosselkhoznadzor will be fined 4-5 thousand rubles. Legal entities will be imposed a penalty fine up to 40-50 thousand rubles.
It must be noted that the State Duma introduced a draft bill which will establish the imposition of a tougher penalty up to 200 thousand rubles fine on zoos, circuses and other organizations that operate without a license.
