Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

In a further show of support for the implementation of a national No Kill strategy within Serbia, a letter has now been sent to Mr.Sasha Dragin – Minister of Agriculture,Serbia, and to Mr.ZoranMicovic – Director of Veterinary Department of Serbia, from Paola Ghidotti – International Campaigns Director and Massimo Pradella – International Chairman, of OIPA, the International Organisation for Animal Protection, based in Milan, Italy.

Please see the OIPA web site at  http://www.oipa.org/

Including information on the European Convention Protecting Pets and Stray Animals:

http://www.oipa.org/abandonment/europeanconvention.html

The main information contained within the OIPA letter is as follows:

“We are writing you on behalf of OIPA.  OIPA – International Organization for Animal Protection, is an International Confederation of associations (today, 170) for the animal protection and for the defence of animal rights all over the world. Founded in 1981 by Milly Shar Manzoli, OIPA is a Non Governmental Organisation associated to the UN Department of Public Information since 1992. The purpose of the Organization consists in the defence of animal rights and in the defence of the animals from every kind of mistreatment. It also follows the purpose of improving the public health through the abolishment of any kind of animal experiments throughout the world.

The organization we lead has been committed to the principle of protecting animal life since its inception more than 30 years ago, and so are our members and staff. It was OIPA, more than any other group, that pioneered the concepts of legislation, education, and sterilization to combat the pet overpopulation problem.

Today in Serbia, thousands of unwanted animals will suffer and die. A shocking number of dogs, cats, and others are born daily into a world whose homes and hearts don’t have room for them”.

“One unspayed dog and her offspring can lead to 67,000 dogs in six years. One unspayed cat and her offspring can produce 400,000 cats in seven years (The Humane Society of the United States, “HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates,” 2004)”.

“Spaying and neutering helps stem the tide of overpopulation. The real answer to the massive street animal population in Serbia is for all authorities to adopt a sterilisation programme. 

A ‘NO KILL’ policy.  It must be a national priority to reduce the number of stray animals over time. Shinters/dogcatchers are not animal control agencies – they are simply communal enterprises working on controlling the stray dog and cat populations”. 

“Tremendous as the problem of pet overpopulation is, it can be solved if each of us takes just one small step, starting with not allowing animals to breed.

The solution is this: only by implementing widespread sterilization programs, only by spaying and neutering all companion animals, will you get a handle on pet overpopulation.

Consider the fact that in six short years, one female dog and her offspring can give birth to hundreds of puppies. And, in seven years, one cat and her young can produce hundreds of kittens.

Given these high reproductive rates, it stands to reason that, in only a few years, carefully planned and implemented sterilization programs could produce a dramatic reduction in the number of unwanted companion animals born.  In fact, according news that we received from other countries, in those towns and cities that have implemented such programs, we’ve already seen the number of companion animals who had to be euthanized decline by 30 to 60 percent—even in those communities where human populations have been steadily increasing.

Successful pet population control programs range from subsidized sterilization clinics to cooperative efforts involving local veterinarians to mass media educational campaigns.

Only through the continued nationwide establishment of such programs you will bring an end to the tragedy of pet overpopulation.

The key is providing the means for people who are unable or unwilling to pay for surgeries to have access to the procedures.  Education, too, is an essential part of solving this problem. Unless people know the facts about pet overpopulation and sterilization, they are virtually helpless to do anything about the problem”.

“Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The disease has a long incubation period (six months) and symptoms may take several weeks to appear after infection. However, once symptoms appear, rabies is always fatal in animals.

Rabies has been recognized for centuries. It wasn’t until the 1880’s when work done by Louis Pasteur identified a virus as the cause of the disease.

Rabies is a disease listed in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 2007, (Article 2.1.1.3) and must be reported to the OIE (Chapter 1.1.2 – Notification of Diseases and Epidemiological Information).

The OIE – Organisation Mondiale de la Santé Animale –  provides science-based standards, guidelines and recommendations for the control of the disease in animals and to prevent the spread of the disease through trade as well as standards for the diagnosis of the disease and the preparation of vaccines for use in animals.  Through its network of Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centers the OIE provides policy advice, strategy design and technical assistance for the diagnosis, control and eradication of rabies.

–          –          European countries implementing effective wildlife rabies control programs that include oral vaccination campaigns have successfully eliminated the disease in wildlife (Switzerland 1999; France 2000; Belgium and Luxembourg 2001; Czech Republic 2004).

–          –          Population control and/or oral vaccination programmes for domestic and stray animals are being implemented in several developing countries where rabies is endemic.

–          –          Eradication is underway in North American countries

Some countries have implemented vigilant control measures and succeeded in eradicating the disease.

In countries where the disease is endemic, measures are implemented to address and reduce the risk of infection in susceptible populations (wildlife, stray and domestic animals) and create a buffer between the animal source of the disease and humans.

• Surveillance and reporting of suspected cases of rabies in animals
• Vaccination programs for domestic animals
• Research into disease dynamics, vaccines and effective delivery mechanisms for target populations
• Wildlife rabies control programs including vaccination (trap/vaccinate/release or delivery of oral vaccines)
• Population control and vaccination programs for stray animal populations

In addition, experience has shown that programs oriented toward preserving life are actually cost effective and cheaper than ones oriented toward killing. For example, it is far less costly to neuter a feral cat than it is to impound, hold, kill and dispose of a feral cat’s body. The savings is also exponential (preventing future generations of feral cats from being born and potentially entering shelters)”.

“OIPA fully support EPAR (OIPA member league) and all Serbian no kill associations”.

Sincerely,

Paola Ghidotti – OIPA International Campaigns Director

Massimo Pradella – OIPA International Chairman

As with the SAV letter and the letter from US Diplomat Mrs. Susan Johnson, sent to Mr.Sasha Dragin and to Mr.Zoran Micovic within the last week and both supporting a Serbian national No Kill programme, we await responses and will provide updates of any correspondence if received from either Mr.Sasha Dragin and / or Mr.Zoran Micovic.

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, LETTERS, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia | Leave a comment »