WARNING! GRAPHIC IMAGES

Some people have never heard of Macedonia. Macedonia is a country in the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe which was part of former Yugoslavia with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia. After Yugoslavia split in a brutal war, Macedonia became an independent country.

Like other Balkan countries Macedonia is an extremely divided and corrupt country. It has political issues because of its national structure and also has problems with the transition and not being able to assimilate and open up to western values and standards.

The citizens of the country suffer because of all these things, but those who suffer the most are animals, especially stray animals.

The Act on Protection and Welfare of Animals of Macedonia is strict and provides solutions for solving the problem of overpopulation of stray dogs, but as in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia, despite good legislation, stray animals are killed illegally – mostly because of money laundering in public “horror” shelters. And, authorities do not want to implement the law, because their lucrative illegal killing of strays would have to cease.

One of the most “popular” and most brutal methods of killing of stray dogs and cats in the country is mass poisoning. This has been taking place in many Macedonian cities including the capital city of Skopje.

A few days ago, after an owned dog, a pet Rottweiler attacked some people in Skopje, a mass poisoning of stray dogs started once again.

Poisoned food is being placed everywhere on the streets, in parks and even in the school yard where children play. Dozens of stray dogs as well as pets have died. Poison for rats is generally used and it causes a painful death and it is extremely difficult to save poisoned dogs and cats. Only one dog has survived so far.

Activists and citizens are patrolling the cities trying to find the perpetrators and to collect as much poison as they can to prevent further deaths, but it seems a “mission impossible” because poison is everywhere and more and more dogs and cats are dying every day.

The main problem is that there are not enough activists and organisations in Macedonia who can deal with this horror on their own; and the media portals are supporting and encouraging this massacre.

There are no pensions like we have in Bosnia in Macedonia and there is no infrastructure to move so many dogs to safety from the streets. Activists are desperate and we must bring international focus on Macedonia as we do for Bosnia.

Activists organised protests. They are trying to bring some attention in order to stop this massacre and they can’t do it on their own – they don’t have the experience rescuers and activists have in other countries of the Balkans. Please share this blog so people know what is happening in this country.

Written by Dalida Kozlic L.L.B

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More information:
Macedonian Association for Protection of Animals “Anima Mundi”
Anima Mundi on Facebook – please ‘like’ the page and show your support
ESDAW – Macedonia
Mysterious spate of stray dog poisonings in Macedonia sparks protests – April 2017
Macedonian Association for Protection of Animals

This site is dedicated to Vučko. Read his story and don’t let him have suffered and died in vain. Please help the stray dogs and cats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The situation there is utterly dire, Vučko is but one amongst many horrifically abused animals. Go here to find out how to help them. Money is needed for food, medicine and foster housing. Even just one dollar or one euro will help.

As you know, mass demonstrations against the massacres of stray dogs in Bosnia were held in front of the Parliamentary Assembly in Sarajevo on the 11th November, and also were held in other cities in the country including Mostar.

Huge media attention followed the demonstrations, and documented their aftermath. Approximately 2000 citizens, activists, volunteers, politicians, and guests from Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, and other European countries, attended the demonstrations. On the same day, demonstrations were held in Washington DC, organised by The Tanzie Project.

Many more offered support virtually through social media.

Media coverage of the demonstrations was particularly extensive, including In the days before the demonstrations when many news portals reported about the illegal killing of stray animals and the money laundering behind these activities.

Videos of the demonstrations as well as other media coverage can be seen on following links:

Inicijativa Primjena Zakona o zaštiti životinja- ODMAH – official Facebook page of organisers

federalna.ba portal – video report

Traže obustavu nezakonitog hvatanja, ubijanja i masovnih pokolja pasa

Objavljeno: 11.11.2017 – Seeking the suspension of illegal capture, killing and massive massacres of dogs

Primjenom zakona do rješenja problema pasa lutalica Applying the law to solving the problem of stray dogs

The prime minister of Canton Sarajevo started attacking activists one day after the demonstrations, but activists won’t give up, actually our fight is becoming more organised and we more dedicated than ever.

Our official demands were:

The Protection and Welfare of Animals of Bosnia Herzegovina laws were ratified eight years ago. Since then the authorities of Bosnia Herzegovina have allowed many politically eligible people and companies to own public shelters for stray animals that haven’t been built, registered nor established in accordance with the laws on establishing and conditions that shelters for stray animals must fulfil in Bosnia Herzegovina.

Dogs in those illegal public shelters are not identified or registered and they are killed illegally in notorious ways. Corpses of dead dogs are removed and destroyed in unknown ways in hidden locations.

The latest and the most infamous example is the shelter for stray dogs in Praca which the Government of Canton Sarajevo rented without the legal procedures from a private person and his building company.

There is no system of control for captured dogs nor for the transport of dogs to the shelter or for controlling their numbers in the shelter.

Dogs in Praca live in filthy concrete kennels without food and water, standing and sleeping in their own faeces.

1.000.000 KM (500.000 Euros) is transferred from the budget of Canton Sarajevo for this horror annually.

We demand implementation of the Act on Protection and Welfare of Animals by those who have enacted the law and who are obliged to implement the law.

Our demands are:

Urgent terminating of illegal killing of stray animals in public shelters in Bosnia Herzegovina. The Veterinary Office, Veterinary inspections, Police forces and Prosecutor’s offices must agree to put a stop to what is happening.
Urgent control and closing of all public shelters that do not fulfil the conditions that are provided for by the law and bylaws.
Urgent presence of veterinarians in all shelters. This must be ordered and controlled by the Veterinary Office and Veterinary inspections.
Urgent suspension of the sale of Praca shelter to the Government of Canton Sarajevo from Murai Commerce Company, as well as termination of the contract between the authorities of Canton Sarajevo and Murai Commerce due to the failure of implementation of the law and the contract.
Transparent and legal financing of projects to solve the problem of overpopulation of stray dogs.
Urgent and general termination of all illegal and inhumane catching of stray dogs as well as their killing and placing in unknown locations. Again, this must be fulfilled by the Veterinary Office and Veterinary inspections.
Implementation of legal provisions to allow all citizens and volunteers to visit and monitor all shelters for stray animals.
Urgent action of veterinary inspections in order to control the registration of pets as well as dog breeders.
Urgent penalties for of all people who abandon their pets.

Written by Dalida Kozlic L.L.B
Please show your support of the rescuers by visiting the official Facebook page and ‘liking’ it and sharing the posts, many also have English text. Also please visit the Prihvatilište za životinje Pahulja-Mostar Facebook page and offer your support there.

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IN MEMORY OF VUČKO

raising awareness and funds to stop animal suffering in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Monthly Archives: December 2017

Animal Massacres in the Balkan Country of Macedonia

Demonstrations Against Massacres of Strays a Success!

Primjenom zakona do rješenja problema pasa lutalica Applying the law to solving the problem of stray dogs