12/30/15 Protest for Dubrovnik's and Other Forgotten Dogs
The Society for the Protection of Animals Dubrovnik with the support of numerous associations organizes protest for Dubrovnik's and other forgotten dogs
- Following the taking of dogs and at the time of current case of dog abuse in the Romani settlements, it's time to say ENOUGH
Protest for Dubrovnik's and other forgotten dogs in Croatia will be held on December 30 at 12 noon in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Avenija Vukovar 78, because it's time to say ENOUGH.
The Animal Protection Act took into effect back in 2007, giving local communities a maximum period of two years to comply with all provisions of laws that include care for abandoned animals, their adoption programs and neutering, as well as education programs for the population.
Nine years later the situation in Croatia is alarming, shown by the case of Dubrovnik, where the shelter construction has been promised more than a decade! The Animal Protection Act is not followed and it has been ignored while the association that has been trying to keep the issue under control has been punished by dishonorable dog confiscation.
The alarming situation is also shown in other local communities, while the lack of care for dogs in Roman settlements in Medjimurje County proves that it is important that the state and all relevant state institutions join in to find the resolution of problems related to abandoned animals.
The important thing is that taken dogs are under the care, and therefore, the property of the Society for the Protection of Animals Dubrovnik. Confiscation of dogs was not performed by the Veterinary Inspection so the legality of the night action, organized by the City of Dubrovnik to their shame and disgrace of all Croatia, should be reviewed.
The questions arise: Why the Animal Protection Act still has no penalties for non-compliance with the provisions relating to the local community; why not stipulate that the shelter can only be non-profit and why there is a permit to kill animals after 60 days? The biggest question we should ask is why the Animal Protection Act in Croatia is not equally enforced?
"If the law is carried out and the animals are not killed in Cakovec, Varazdin and Zagreb, why cannot Dubrovnik do the same?" ask the volunteers of the Society for the Protection of Animals in Dubrovnik and they explain: "On December 21, 2015 about 2 A.M. from the shelter at Zarkovica in Dubrovnik with the assistance of 50 police officers, 65 dogs owned by the Society for the Protection of Animals Dubrovnik have been stolen. Kastela, Sibenik , Medulin and Pakrac shelters are those who have accepted the offer of the City of Dubrovnik to come and take the dogs in the middle of the night. Volunteer Sandra Sambrailo was detained by the police the same night in order not to interfere with their plan. There were a lot of irregularities that night. The city interpreted and used the law as they saw fit, with the aim of harming the dogs and the volunteers."
"These events are terrible culmination of 15 years of the negligence of the City of Dubrovnik and persistent failure to meet legal obligations and taking advantage of volunteers. So we decided to organize a protest in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in order to point out and show that it's enough!" said Anica Sambrailo, president of the Society for the Protection of Animals Dubrovnik.
- ENOUGH of non-compliance with the Animal Protection Act!
- ENOUGH of inaction of institutions who are in charge to act on the issue of animal protection!
- ENOUGH with the shelters that are declared no-kill only by name but actually practice daily killing of healthy animals!
- ENOUGH of shelters from which the animals have to be saved from the disease, infection and inhumane conditions!
- ENOUGH of cities and willful city "sheriff" who spend our money to pay killings and thereby finance one's private interests!
- ENOUGH of blackmailing and exploitation of volunteers for the work that is, by the law, cities and local community responsibility! Do not allow any more Zarkovica, Pokupsko Celje, Medjimurje...
Let this protest be a New Year's Eve where we await concrete changes that will result in humanity, civility and unity in defense of the innocent.
Photo gallery from the protest can be viewed here.