Tajikistan: Dushanbe Says No to Cows, Donkeys and Chickens

In an attempt to reaffirm Dushanbe's status as a capital city, residents are facing a ban on keeping livestock and other barnyard animals, including cows, donkeys, chickens and rabbits.

The prohibition, which has been adopted by both houses of the Tajik parliament, will not apply to cats, dogs or caged birds. "In recent years, the number of cattle in Dushanbe has become twice as big as in some agrarian districts of the country. The country's capital is not a place for breeding cattle," the Interfax news agency quotes Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloyev, the mayor of Dushanbe, as saying on May 20.

Small herds of cows grazing by the roadside are a regular feature of city life in the Tajik capital, the report adds. The ban will go into effect after the legislation is signed by President Imomali Rahmon.