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Osipenko E.A. [Animal protection in the region: social barriers and limitations] World of Science. Series: Sociology, Philology, Cultural Studies, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 4. Available at: https://sfk-mn.ru/PDF/08SCSK422.pdf (in Russian).

Animal protection in the region: social barriers and limitations

Osipenko Elena Andreevna
Ogarev Mordovia State University, Saransk, Russia
E-mail: elenasamoilovakar@yandex.ru
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=1015164

Abstract. Introduction. An important indicator of the development of Russian civil society is the growth in the number of volunteer communities that perform various socially useful functions. One of the manifestations of social activity was the movement to protect animals. In its development, the animal protection movement faces a number of problems of an organizational and legal nature. Due to the fact that the civil initiative in the field of animal protection has become widespread in Russia relatively recently, the ongoing sociological research is mainly concerned with clarifying the attitude of Russians towards homeless animals. At the same time, studies of the structural elements of the movement, dysfunctions and barriers inherent in the development of animal volunteerism are not enough. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to identify social barriers and restrictions that arise in the process of institutionalization of the animal protection movement at the regional level (on the example of the Republic of Mordovia, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Penza region).

Materials and methods. The article presents the results of sociological research «Animal protection movement in the region» (2022) using the method of in-depth interviews with participants in animal protection groups of regions (Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan, Penza region), SWOT analysis of the regional development of animal protection, traditional analysis of documents, with taking into account the results of previous studies.

Research results. On the basis of the study, it was revealed that the main barriers to the institutionalization of the Russian animal protection movement are: organizational (underdevelopment of NGOs, the lack of a single organizational center for animal promotion, the absence or underdeveloped infrastructure of the animal protection movement), legal (problems of legislative support for animal protection: underdevelopment of legislative and legal acts), information (lack of awareness of volunteers), social (indifference of a significant part of society to the problems of animal protection, wary attitude of the population towards animal rights activists, emotional burnout of volunteers).

The inhibitory factors of the institutionalization of animal rights activists are the inconsistency of the actions of the animal protection groups themselves, associated with their different understanding of the methods of helping animals; bureaucratization in the creation of NGOs; poor identification of animal rights activists themselves as representatives of the social movement, lack of awareness of volunteers, lack of dialogue on interaction with authorities.

The study showed that regional uniqueness can act as both a deterrent to the growth of the animal protection movement and a motivating factor for its development.

Discussion and conclusion. The animal protection movement in the regions is developing heterogeneously and in the process of its development it faces a number of problems both within the movement itself and in relation to it in the regional society. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results by authorities and volunteer movements for the implementation of civil initiatives.

Keywords: social movement; civil society; animal rights movement; animal welfare society; animal advocates

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