Why the CDC wants to extend ban of importing dogs, cats from other countries
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Centers For Disease Control wants to extend a ban on importing dogs and cats from other countries.
The CDC says it's aimed to protect people from rabies, but some animal rescue groups say that's not a valid concern and that hundreds of thousands of animals are desperate for help from countries that are in turmoil.
Soli is loving her new life in Philadelphia after being abandoned in the Ukraine.
"We were completely enamored with her," Nicole Allman said.
Allman has another international rescue, Luna, who was found in Russia. Providing a home to these four-legged international refugees is especially important to her.
"In spite of hard and scary things existing in the world right now to be alive is such a gift and that love joy and connection are so important," Allman said.
But the CDC says dogs like Soli and Luna shouldn't be allowed in the United States because of rabies concerns.
"It's devastating and unfair," Anna Umansky, of Sochi Dog Rescue, said.
Umansky works to get international dogs all the proper vaccinations and paperwork before they come to the U.S.
"We're being punished for not doing anything wrong," Umansky said.
The CDC first restricted importing animals from certain countries during the pandemic. Now, it wants to expand that, saying it's needed to prevent the reintroduction of rabies into the United States.
"It's a bureaucratic bureaucracy run awry, I think. It's not based on real risk to people," Dr. Jim Keen, a veterinarian at Animal Wellness Action, said.
Keen says rabies has continued to exist in the states, mainly in wild animals, and that pets who are imported are tested and vaccinated for rabies.
"A lot of those animals are going to die," Keen said. "It doesn't make any sense to me so it's frustrating."
Keen says it's especially upsetting for families escaping the war in Ukraine who aren't allowed to come here with their pets.
"I wish the CDC showed a little more humanity toward people in a crisis situation," Keen said.
The CDC says it's still gathering public comment before making a final decision on expanding its restrictions on importing dogs and cats.