Animal Shelter Guard Assaulted in Almaty Region; Investigation Underway

In the Almaty region, unidentified assailants forced their way into the Beliy Bim animal shelter overnight, Orda.kz reports. 

According to owner Natalia Sulzhik, the security guard was attacked with a rebar, leaving him with broken arms and legs. The man has been hospitalized.

Sulzhik believes the incident is connected to ongoing attempts to seize her land in the Jambyl district, where she keeps about 80 dogs.

I'm afraid to spend the night here. Yesterday there were threats, today there was an attack. The guard was assaulted, and there was gunfire from the mountain. This is a hostile land takeover,
 Sulzhik stated in her address.

She added that previous clashes over the same land had already occurred. On the night of October 29, masked men reportedly forced their way into the shelter, attacked the guard, and fled. Sulzhik said the shelter is now in dire straits and appealed to locals for help — not financial aid, but by adopting dogs.

Police in the Almaty region confirmed that a pre-trial investigation has been launched.

However, they deny Sulzhik’s claims of gunfire.

An investigation is underway. The case is under the supervision of the department's leadership,
 the official statement says.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov