Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan says stray dogs in the Armenian capital will no longer be destroyed, and that the municipality will focus on education and sterilization instead.

The stray dog problem has plagued Yerevan for years and the municipality often resorted to destroying animals as a quick solution.

Today, at the opening of a Yerevan photo exhibit called “Famous People for the Sake of Homeless Animals, Marutyan called the practice “inhumane and inefficient”.

Marutyan announced that the municipality had entered into an agreement with the The British-based Pro Paws Charity to institute a  stray control project of trap/neuter/release (TNR).

“We will no longer fight against animals. We will struggle in the name of normal coexistence between people and animals so that both can feel comfortable and safe in our city,” Marutyan said.