06/15/12 Veterinary Inspection Kills Dogs!
Animal Friends appeals to citizens and the media to save lives
- Horror: Miljenko Jurjevic, Marica Cikojevic and Ljerka Fuckala carried out the massacre of abandoned and adopted dogs
Animal Friends is receiving numerous alerts from hour to hour from shocked citizens that the veterinary inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture - Miljenko Jurjevic, Marica Cikojevic and Ljerka Fuckala – are heartlessly killing dogs under the assumption of the danger of rabies. Yesterday, at the Shelter for abandoned animals of the City of Zagreb in Dumovec, they have killed 20 dogs under the suspicion of rabies, and the terrible killings continue. The reason for killing these innocent dogs is a puppy that was adopted more than a month ago from Dumovec, and was diagnosed to have rabies after being bitten recently by another animal in the caretaker's yard. Although the starting point of rabies is in the courtyard area where the puppy was bitten, the veterinary inspection has killed 20 dogs in Dumovec and more than ten animals that were in Noah's Ark Welfare Association's shelter, some of which were vaccinated against rabies last year. In addition to that, veterinary inspectors have been calling citizens who have adopted dogs from shelters and are asking them to return the animals so they could euthanise them. Appalled caretakers are afraid for the safety of their adopted dogs.
Dogs killed in Dumovec were quarantined; their behavior and health constantly monitored by the Dumovec professional staff vaccinated against rabies, so the dogs were no threat to anyone, nor other animals or humans. Regulations on measures to control and eradicate rabies among animals provides that, if there is suspicion of animal rabies, the veterinarian must perform a clinical examination by observing the animals three times for ten days to determine feasibility of suspected rabies. Veterinary inspections mercilessly kill dogs, although the existence of rabies is not established, nor has any dog underwent the procedure required by any laws and ethical awareness 21st century. Even in the case of justified suspicion of rabies it is unacceptable to solve the problem by killing innocent animals, instead of testing and humane approach.
Rabies is a severe disease and should not be exploited for killing the dogs with no sign of rabies and without implemented procedures prescribed by law for determining rabies. It is significant that they attacked a shelter with "no-kill" policy, while many "shelters" tolerate killing of hundreds of dogs, as well as the lack of compliance with the conditions prescribed by law. They have attacked innocent traumatized animals. Veterinary inspectors are killing and deliberately ignoring the other options available to determine the actual risk of rabies and dogs for rabies testing. By unduly killing the dogs, they are spreading panic that could actually cause the spread of rabies. Specifically, people with a suspected rabid dog would place him under observation, but would not do that it if they think their dog would be killed by the inspectors for prevention.
Abandoned animals are already victims of irresponsible people in the shelter and foster homes and seek safety and a warm home. They were greeted by death, just because they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, with veterinary inspectors who disgrace their profession by unjustified killing, and do not respond to numerous cases of abuse and killing of animals in shelters, as pointed out by many organizations trying to save the abandoned dogs.
Animal Friends suggests an appeals to citizens and the media to save lives and to put an end to the terror of veterinary inspection, which occurs under the guise of protecting animal and human health. Dangerous condition is exploited to intimidate people and the slaughter of innocent and suffering animals. Animal Friends filed a criminal complaint against the veterinary inspectors who killed the dogs. Animal Friends also urged the citizens to write to the Ministry of Agriculture and to seek immediate cessation of the killing of animals and to sign a petition for the reform of veterinary inspection (e-mails: prijava@mps.hr; office@mps.hr; ivana.raptavi@mps.hr; bsosic@mps.hr; andrea.mihaljevic@mps.hr).