Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

FEEL FREE TO CROSSPOST 

The little female dog which you can see here lives in Loznica city pound in Serbia.

 

 

There are many dogs which live in this shelter.  Each month, many dogs are killed by local hunters who appear to be using them as living targets.

Members of the Serbian parliament who represent Loznica always speak against stray dogs whenever they have the opportunity.  They never speak out about the irresponsible owners; those who care nothing about their animals and do not get them sterilised; thus continuing to add further to the stray animal numbers when they reproduce.

These same members of the parliament ask for all stray dogs to be killed.

Rather than being a representative of the constituency they represent, Loznica politicians appear to be going out of their way to spread bad news about stray animals throughout the Serbian parliament.  Their basic stance is ‘hate animals’ !

Spreading hate through the parliament about sentient creatures is not civilised and it should definitely not be the work of politicians – has Serbia not seen enough hate by humans in the last 20 years to now carry on with this attitude ? – they really should move away from spreading hate, and move into the 21^st Century.

When Serbian animal activists brought a criminal charge about this issue, hunter ‘training’ on shelter animals was stopped for around two to three weeks.  Because the police have done nothing further and the city inspectors have not acted as a result of the charge, things appear to be going back to how they were – hunters using shelter animals as targets; a kind of ‘canned hunting’.

Public garbage firms who are responsible for the catching of stray animals throughout Serbia are given millions from the public purse.  Cats and dogs are continually caught – cats are killed immediately and the dogs are thrown into so called ‘shelters’ before they are taken away and killed.

See our post at

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/serbia-loznica-city-pound-3-million-dinars-for-what-certainly-not-for-animal-welfare-politicians-maybe/  

for an example of what the alleged ‘shelter’ at Loznica city pound is like.

Maybe some of these animals have now been killed by being used as living targets by the local hunters.

Below is a sample letter relating to this case and the non enforcement of serbian national legislation for strays since 2005.  Legislation which the government are now attempting to overturn in order that they can legally continue to kill strays, even though they have been committing illegal activities by doing this since 2005.  You can copy this sample letter and send to the Serbian government, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, and also to the OIE for World animal health, who are based in Paris.  Full contact listings are given in the details (sample letter) below.

SAMPLE LETTER **  SAMPLE LETTER ** 

To  Serbian Government ;

predsednikvladesrbije@gov.rs,

kabinet.zpv@gov.rs,

kabinet.potpredsednika@gov.rs

CC :

office@minpolj.gov.rs

generalni.inspektorat@minpolj.gov.rs

info@ekoplan.gov.rs

goran.milosev@minpolj.gov.rs

zoran.marinkovic@minpolj.gov.rs

zoran.micovic@minpolj.gov.rs

Media :

redakcija@blic.co.rs

redakcija@politika.co.rs

redakcija@kurir-info.co.rs

redakcija@glas-javnosti.co.rs

redakcija@novosti.rs

antigona.andonov@b92.net

Commissioner Rehn – EU:

cab-rehn-web-feedback@ec.europa.eu

OIE Paris:

oie@oie.int

Block Listing of above:

predsednikvladesrbije@gov.rs,  kabinet.zpv@gov.rs,  kabinet.potpredsednika@gov.rs,  office@minpolj.gov.rs,  generalni.inspektorat@minpolj.gov.rs,  info@ekoplan.gov.rs,  goran.milosev@minpolj.gov.rs,  zoran.marinkovic@minpolj.gov.rs,  zoran.micovic@minpolj.gov.rs,  cab-rehn-web-feedback@ec.europa.eu,  oie@oie.int

 ——————————

LETTER to copy and send – 

 

To whom it may concern;

I am writing to express my complete and utter disgust at the situation I have seen at Loznica city pound.

Firstly, I understand that it is a regular occurrence that dogs which are attempting to survive in such squalid conditions at this so-called ‘animal shelter’ are regularly being used as living targets by local hunters.  I have seen the photographic evidence of one small female dog which has been shot through the body with a hunters arrow.

Secondly, the conditions for animals at Loznica ‘shelter’ are a disgrace, especially when you are allegedly providing millions of dinars to make the place more suitable for animals.  One has to ask where exactly this money is really going – maybe into the pockets of Serbian politicians rather than animal welfare.

Members of the Serbian parliament who represent Loznica always speak against stray dogs whenever they have the opportunity.  They never speak out about the irresponsible animal owners of Loznica; those people who care nothing about their animals, who  turn them out on the street every day, to mate with other animals, the same owners who make no attempt to get their animal(s) sterilised; something which would very rapidly reduce the numbers of strays on the streets if only this were to happen.  Progress in reducing stray animal numbers needs to be obtained through education and a sterilisation programme, and responsible pet ownership.  Serbia does not appear to be moving in any direction with any of these programmes at the moment – apart that is, from its endless and pointless stray killing attitude, which will never significantly reduce stray animal numbers in the long term.

The Serbian media continue to use a language of nothing but hate against stray animals.  But the media does very little to analyse what has been continuously stated by animal welfare organisations regarding a national sterilisation, vaccination and identification programme to reduce stray numbers long term.  Where the money which is currently being used for rounding up and killing a small percentage of strays, it could and should be diverted to instead be used to sterilise, vaccinate and identify treated strays on the streets; strays which are identified as having been sterilised and which are of no ‘threat’ to increasing stray animal populations.

Shinters (dog catchers) need to be educated to ignore animals which are identified as being sterilised, rather than simply going on their killer mindset frenzy of wiping out every animal which they come across.

Where exactly is all the money for the shelters and for animal control programmes actually going ? – could it instead be being siphoned off into the pockets of politicians ? – food for thought and certainly the views of Serbian animal campaigners who see very little progress in the standards of personnel (shinters) and the conditions of animal shelters across Serbia.

Sterilised animals do not produce offspring; but neither the Serbian government or the Serbian media appear to understand this basic fact of nature.  Money needs to be put into a sterilisation programme, not a continual killing programme which kills some strays but allows other non-sterilised animals to reproduce and effectively, continue replacing the numbers of animals which have recently been caught and killed by an archaic and very uneducated regime.

Serbian animal activists have much proof of animal abuses and have asked for the intervention of the Serbian government in agreement with the obligation (of the government) which is defined in Article 192 of the Serbian Constitution, and also Article 8 of the Law of Government.  Despite their requests to the Serbian government, these citizens of Serbia are being ignored.  So what can be said about the rights of Serbian citizens when they are ignored by their own government, despite there being legal obligations which the government should adhere to ?

I am sending a copy of this letter to the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Mr. Olli Rehn; to inform him that in no way is Serbia currently in a position to be accepted into the EU.  It is clear from the situations at Loznica alone, regardless of any other Serbian cities and their approach to stray animal control procedures, that you as a government are not enforcing your own rule of law, a fundamental requirement for membership of the EU.  An additional copy of this letter is being forwarded to the OIE, Paris, to inform them of the animal abuses and non-compliance with the existing animal protection legislation in Serbia.  Legislation which the government would appear to be ignoring and dismissing.

Instead, you continue to allow local authorities to work using the old, outdated and illegal legislation of Pravilnik 29/94; legislation which has since 2005 been overwritten by Article 168, the Serbian Veterinary Law of 02/10/2005.

Local authorities across Serbia are using Pravilnik 29/94 to continue killing animals held in pounds after 3-7 days when in fact they should now, and from late 2005, have been using the new Veterinary Law Article 168 which demands the care of animals, not the killing.

This has recently been verified to Serbian animal campaigners by the Constitutional Court of Serbia.  Proof of this can be provided if requested, either by the Serbian government, the EU Enlargement commission, or the OIE for animal health in Paris.

You, as the Serbian government, are not enforcing the current veterinary law to proterct animals.  Instead, you are continuing to use old and now illegal legislation for the killing of animals.  This is not acceptable and the EU Commissioner is now going to be informed that the Serbian government cannot enforce ‘the rule of law’ as required to be shown for EU membership.

Although as a government you should be fully aware of national legislation, but obviously you are not, I will have to make it clear to you:

Pravilnik 29/94 became nonexistent on 02/10/2005 when it was replaced by the new veterinary law Article 168 which demands the care of animals, not the killing.

Also, I now understand that authorities have started discussions at a meeting in Negotin; where these authorities have plans to introduce a new version of the old and illegal Pravilnik 29/94, which returns back to allowing animal killings after 30 days of being held in a shelter.

There would be not law for the care of animals under this new regime, simply a policy of kill, kill, kill.

I guess the reason for this new kill policy is because shinters, veterinarians and many politicians all take money from the public purse by being involved with an animal killing strategy.  You obviously wish to keep these advocates of animal killing funded from the public purse, so you are possibly going to introduce new legislation (the new Pravilnik 29/94) to ensure that this continues to happen.  Public money for continued killing with no real long term programme to reduce animal numbers by other methods – this is what the Negotin discussions are aimed at.

This discussion has started in the city of Bor; the city where over 1,000 bodies of illegally killed animals have been left on the city dump, and also where live animals are left on the dump wrapped in plastic bags to suffer a long and terrible death.

Again, we have the evidence and can provide photographs to any parties who request them.

Conclusion:

The Serbian government is not enforcing new (2005) national legislation to protect animals,

The Serbian government are not enforcing the law of the Serbian government,

the law for public competition,

The Serbian government are not enforcing the Criminal Code,

The Serbian government are not enforcing the verdict of the Constitutional Court of Serbia, or enforcing the Serbian Constitution,

In summary, there is no enforcement of the Serbian ‘rule of law’ and as such, I consider that you as a nation are not elegible for membership of the EU until you show positive changes with regard each and every one of these areas.

Both Commissioner Rehn at the EU and the OIE Paris will be provided with a copy of this mail.

Yours,

Your Name: 

Your Nationality:

 —————————————————————————————————––

 

 After surgery to remove the arrow, the dog has started to recover from her abuse and injuries.

 

 

She is a lucky one – many others are not. 

These pictures show the reality of Serbian shelters in 2010 and this outlines the COMPLETE LACK OF CONCERN from a Serbian government in 2010  !!

 

 

 

 

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia | Leave a comment »