07/03/06 Family to the Seaside, Dog to the Street?
Animal Friends and NOKIA Cro-a-Porter present their campaign against abandoning companion animals before leaving for holidays
For the fifth year in a row, Animal Friends continues its educative campaign for protecting abandoned companion animals before summer holidays, under the name "Family to the Seaside, Dog to the Street?" The aim of the campaign is to raise the citizens' awareness concerning this serious problem. This year's campaign bears the title "Don't Abandon Me" and is supported by the City Department for Agriculture and Forestry and NOKIA Cro-a-Porter.
Famous TV moderator Tatjana Juric has posed for a billboard together with her dog, by which she wants to send a public message about the intolerable cruelty of abandoning pets and call attention to the fact that caring about animals is our lifelong duty and responsibility.
On Thursday, July 6 at 10:00 A.M., at the Regent Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Mihanoviceva 1, a press conference will take place with Tatjana Juric, the art director of NOKIA Cro-a-Porter Viktor Drago, head of the City Department for Agriculture and Forestry Darko Vuletic and the president of Animal Friends Luka Oman, who will introduce the campaign and speak about the problem of abandoned and unwanted animals, which is particularly serious in the summer months.
Because of the still common treatment of animals as toys and the carelessness of their owners, each summer stray animals populate the streets of the city during holiday time, wandering in hunger and thirst, exposed to abuse by mentally deranged persons and often meeting their tragic end under the car wheels.
According to the actual Animal Welfare Act, abandoning animals is punishable by a ridiculously small fine of 200-2,500 Kuna, but even so not a single person has been punished in Croatia for abandoning his or her companion animal! Even though we are of the opinion that the fine of 5,000-15,000 Kuna, proposed for the new Animal Protection Act, which should be passed before the end of the year, is too low, increasing the fines is certainly an important step forward. Therefore, we wish to appeal to the citizens to report cases of abandoning animals.