MOSCOW, June 3 (RAPSI) – The St. Petersburg legislature submitted a bill to the State Duma on Tuesday proposing penalties of up to two years in prison for so-called dog hunters, according to a database of the lower house of parliament.

Dog hunters, as they call themselves, have been known to poison, trap and kill strays and family pets.

An explanatory note to the bill says that under Russian legislation mass poisoning of animals is not a criminal offense. The criminal code articles on cruelty to animals only concern actions that result in the death or serious injury of animals, if they are committed without a visible reason/cause, or for mercenary reasons, or involving sadistic behavior, or in the presence of underage children.

The lawmakers said that dog hunters poison, trap and kill strays and family pets, arguing that the priority must be for people to have a safe environment.

“Their actions result in the death of not only strays, but also family pets, including those that are not aggressive or unfriendly. From 2010 to 2013, thousands of dogs were poisoned in St. Petersburg,” the explanatory note says.

The authors of the bill believe that dog hunting groups’ regular “operations” promote a cynical and cruel attitude towards animals in society.