On 16 October 2021, Ms. Brigitte Auloy, head of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, arrived in Kazakhstan.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation was organized in 1986 in France by a famous actress and deals with the issues relating to animal protection worldwide.  It is worth mentioning that the Foundation has been particularly interested in Kazakhstan for several years.  In December 2019, Ms. Brigitte Bardot addressed an appeal to the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to pay attention to cruel stray animal treatment in the country.  Ms. Bardot also shared her opinion that sterilization, vaccination and identification with subsequent release of animals may be a solution to the issue of uncared street animals.  In his letter of response, the Kazakhstan President mentioned that Kazakhstan is actively working on a draft law governing the life of stray animals and pets.

The key purpose of the visit of the Foundation head, Ms. Brigitte Auloy, to Kazakhstan is an intention to establish working relations with the animal rights activists, render assistance to the Government of Kazakhstan and non-governmental organizations with the animal protection issues.  As part of her visit, Ms. Auloy had several meetings with the activists and representatives of animal protection organizations, public officials of different levels, including the Deputy Minister of Environment and representatives of Akimats, and visited animal shelters in Nur-Sultan, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semipalatinsk, Atyrau, Atyrau Oblast, and Almaty.

On 28 October, Ms. Brigitte Auloy held a meeting at the Almaty office of AEQUITAS Law Firm with the representatives of the initiative group working on the draft Kazakhstan law on Responsible Animal Treatment: Olga Chentsova, AEQUITAS Managing Partner and Head of KazBar "Animal Law" Committee, Irina Filimonova, member of the Kind City project, and Yuliya Kovalenko, head of the KARE-Zabota Foundation.  At the meeting, they discussed the key provisions of the draft law, to which the deputies of the Kazakhstan Parliament should pay special attention according to Ms. Auloy's opinion, as well as the state of things with humane animal treatment, sterilization, shelters and temporary detention facilities in Almaty and Almaty Oblast.

We would like to thank Ms. Auloy for her kindness and passionate attitude to animals, and her invaluable contribution to the formation of the Kazakhstan legislative framework in the animal protection sphere with reference to international experience.