Two dogs wounded in Sanski Most

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Sandra Jensen

Dog shot in Sanksi Most

Dalida Kozlic L.L.B writes:

Krajina is one of the most notorious parts of Bosnia where animals are victims of different types of torture and killings. Sanski Most is a small town in the Krajina – Una – Sana Canton, where authorities use illegal killing of stray dogs to launder money.

Municipality authorities have been financing an illegal killing pound that is owned by the municipality utility company. In this place stray dogs do not have water, food or adequate accommodation. They freeze in winter or they are exposed to extremely high temperatures in summer while municipality funds meant for food and veterinary services are never given to the dogs; instead of helping and feeding stray dogs, the authorities get rid of them and the money is divided between the municipality authorities and the utility company under Sana management. Hunters are one group of dog killers who are paid by the municipality authorities.

Before 2009, members of hunting organisations killed stray animals in urban and rural areas – even in the middle of day – and they had to cut the tail of every corpse to receive money for their abominable actions. Municipalities have paid out extraordinary sums for this monstrous “work“.

After 2009, the Act on Protection and Welfare of Animals came into force and hunters began killing stray animal secretly.

In most cases employees of utility companies owned by different municipalities catch stray animals and take them to hunting areas in the forests, where hunters wait for these animals to kill them. Since all hunting organisations are partly financed by municipalities, they just get more money for breaking the laws.

In rural areas killing of stray animals is not so secret and hidden, mostly because many people in villages support killing of stray animals and they themselves possess illegal hunting weapons.

Police, prosecutors and veterinary and hunting inspectors are obliged to investigate and stop these crimes, but corruption and political involvement stop implementation of the laws.

The latest cases have shown that stray dogs are killed in Krajina almost every day.

Volunteers of Støtt gatehunder i Bosnia found a wounded dog in Sanski Most on the 19^th November, and a few days later on the 10^th December they found another wounded dog.

Both dogs were found on the dump site and both dogs had multiple gunshot wounds in their legs and hind part of their bodies.

Veterinarians pulled several pellets from gunshot wounds which made clear that these dogs had been victims of hunters or someone who illegally possessed hunting guns.

If the dogs had not been found by volunteers of the organisation, they would eventually have died after days of agony. X-rays prove the dogs have been victims of this brutality.

Both crimes have been reported to the Prosecutor’s office and both dogs have been rescued by the Støtt gatehunder i Bosnia organisation, a group which has been doing exceptional rescue and legal work in Una – Sana Canton and has helped more than 100 dogs in Sanski Most.

The organisation is taking care of the two dogs and it is covering veterinary costs.

The dogs will recover from their injuries, but their emotional trauma will remain because of this awful act of hate rage towards animals, a rage that continues in all areas of Bosnia towards the strays.

Written by Dalida Kozlic L.L.B

Dog shot in Sanksi Most

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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.

Demonstrations Against Massacres of Strays a Success!

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Sandra Jensen

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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The Importance of Fighting Against Cruelty to Animals

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Sandra Jensen

Dalida Kozlic L.L.B, lawyer and activist writes:

“Animal cruelty is more than just a legal issue; it is a community issue. If you improve animal welfare in a community, you improve public safety for everyone.”
~ Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings–Blake

Years of an experience in the field of the legal protection of animals have taught me to recognise evil in its worst forms. The truth is that every rescuer of animals faces the most disturbing and the saddest cases in the world.

Animal welfare advocates face evil in its worst form; they face the most evil people and witness what evil people can do to innocent and helpless creatures.

Cruelty to animals is now seen as a part of the landscape of family violence and a risk to human health, safety and welfare with strong links to child maltreatment, domestic violence and elder abuse.

Animal welfare advocates believe that people are at risk when animals are abused and that animals are at risk when people are abused.

Those scientific and research facts and evidences can be linked with the increasing cases of animal abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A growing and compelling body of research is confirming these links and clarifying animal abuse as a predictor and indicator crime that often signals serious interpersonal aggression and familiar dysfunction. People who abuse animals have been found to be significantly more likely to commit violent crimes, domestic violence and other antisocial behaviour.

We often write about illegal killings of stray animals due to the dog catching services and in the public shelters. Unfortunately, not only these authorities are involved in the widescale slaughter of Bosnian stray animals (illegally), but “ordinary people” are often those who commit the most horrendous crimes against animals (stray, wild, endangered, pets, etc.).

Bosnian post – war society is generally mentally ill. There is a mass diagnosis of PTSD and people must accept the fact that most of them haven’t dealt with personal traumas in the right way. The problem is Bosnian people generally think that they know everything. Unfortunately, there is no less educated and less self-aware population in Europe who thinks that they can solve everything in this world.

The fact is that the same people have been leading this country for almost 30 years. Not only are they leading it, they are stealing everything they can. And they get an opportunity to steal and torture their own people every four years when elections are held. Bosnian people know how corrupt and criminalised their politicians are, but still they vote for them.

Also, the fact is that we went through unimaginable suffering and torture during the four year war and aggression. Almost 200.000 people were killed and one million had to leave our country. War traumas are amongst the worst traumas a person can experience. Still we were better humans during the war. We had more empathy for other people as well as for animals. Bosnian people mostly refused to kill their pets and eat them during the war (yes, there was no food here). Most of people shared whatever they had with their animals.

What happened after the war?

If you ask me, we have turned into a psychopathic society. The level of frustration by living in this complicated and as some say cursed country is increasing all the time, but Bosnian people are passive. They are always passive towards those who harass them so they have turned their aggression onto animals.

Animals are the biggest post war victims in Bosnia. They are legally protected – when we look at the legislation. But practically speaking, they are exposed to psychopaths who wander in the streets.

Cruelty to animals has become a serious legal and community issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

People are afraid of dogs; dogs are the subject of discussion and debate. Meanwhile we are one of the poorest and the most miserable countries in the whole of Europe, so the deprived people take their frustration out on those who cannot protect themselves. Dogs are a channel for the anger people should feel towards those who are responsible for the way we live today. Dogs have become public enemy number one and the lightning rod for a society which suffers from all kinds of problems. If this society thinks about how to kill as many dogs as possible rather than how to make a living, surely we have a problem? We are a psychopathic society that suffers from mass aggression and a society that has misdirected its aggression.

Not only does public debate presents animals as demons (mostly dogs), people are treating animals like demons and there is an increasing number of cases of animal abuse done by individuals – not only by hunters or authorities.

Animal abuse can be a symptom of a personality disorder, but also the disorder of society as a whole. The tendency to abuse, torture and kill animals is one of the most important symptoms of the psychopath – sociopath. Psychopaths or sociopaths are people without a conscience who enjoy abusing of animals and humans. Those people usually behave and look like normal people.

Zoo sadism is a pleasure (psychological, physical or sexual) that one gets abusing animals.
It is a manipulation and a desire to inflict physical and psychological pain to a being that cannot defend itself against any kind of attack. The abuser of animals has no conscience; he does not sympathize with other living beings. Most serial killers were animal abusers. People who abuse animals are aware it is prohibited by law and punishable and that it is a morally appalling act, but the desire to manipulate and to express their own complex onto a helpless creature is so strong they have to repeat their sadistic acts.

Animal abusers are rarely mentally ill people, but animal abuse is a symptom of severe mental disorder. The mentally ill are rarely aware of the consequences of their actions, while mentally disturbed people are aware of their actions and their consequences. Animal abusers are psychopaths who intentionally know what they do and who are fully aware of their actions and the consequences, but do not empathize with other living beings. The most important thing for them is to be satisfied by expressing power and control over the helpless creature and thus cure their frustrations and / or complexes.

When we link all these facts with population of hundreds of thousands traumatised by passive people, we can get a worrying perception about possible animal abusers who turn their aggression and desires towards animals.

The fact is that we are surrounded by psychopaths and animal abusers who are organised in groups (hunters or dog catchers) or they work alone and torture animals on their own without any payment or by participating in hunting or a publicly funded dog catching organisation.

Bosnian society does not understand that animals are unable to fight for themselves and there is a complete lack of empathy for those who suffer. This means that society as a whole has a pathological feature. Individuals and society do not want to understand that animal abusers are people with pathological

personality features, who tend to become abusers and killers of people (if not already). Prosecution and punishing of animal abusers are the basic functions of protecting animals. Special prevention sends a message to abusers that if they re-offend their offence against animals, they are to be arrested and punished. The general prevention message is sent to the society. If the state and the judiciary do not tolerate animal abuse, the problem is recognized as a deep social anomaly and that each abuser is to be punished. But in Bosnia this does not happen.

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Murderer apprehended in Bosnia also a killer of dogs

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Sandra Jensen

By Dalida Kozlic, lawyer and activist in BiH:

There is an increasing number of cases of animal abuse in countries of the south-eastern Balkans. Animal rights activists and organisations for the protection of animals are daily faced with cases of the worst forms of animal abuse. Some of these cases have been covered by the media, as it was the case of a dog called Mila whose all paws were cut off in Belgrade, four years ago. Mila was saved by activists. There were cases of putting firecrackers in the mouths of dogs in Sarajevo and Zagreb in 2011 and 2013; unfortunately both dogs had to be euthanized, because of the terrible injuries that had been sustained.

In Prijedor, 3^rd May 2015, Bosnia Herzegovina, Alen Bahonjic killed Hasan Alic who was 74 years old. Alen Bahonjic used a hammer to kill Hasan Alic and the motive for this murder was greed. Alen Bahonjic was arrested. The Prosecutor’s office will issue an indictment. It is interesting that Alen Bahonjic has already committed criminal offences including a criminal offence of torturing and killing of animals. He killed two senior stray dogs in Prijedor in 2014. He was arrested because of the criminal offence but obviously the Bosnian legal system only reacted after he had killed a man. These cases present the cruel reality of the Bosnian legal system that has good legislation but lack of implementation.

Animal abuse can be a symptom of a personality disorder: the disorder of society as a whole.

The tendency to abuse, torture and kill animals is one of the most important symptoms of a psychopath / sociopath. Psychopaths or sociopaths are people without conscience, who enjoy abusing animals and humans. Those people usually behave and look like normal people.

Zoo sadism is the term for pleasure (psychological, physical or sexual) gained from abusing animals. Psychologists, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists consider that the reason behind someone abusing animals is childhood trauma, sexual and violent fantasies, different kinds of frustration and a desire for control over the helpless creature. However, the most important thing is that the goal of animal abuse is manipulation and a desire to inflict physical and psychological pain to a being that cannot defend itself. The abuser of animals has no conscience; he does not sympathize with other living beings. It is documented that many serial killers were animal abusers. People who abuse animals are aware that it is prohibited by law and punishable as a morally appalling act, but the desire to manipulate and to express their own complex via hurting helpless creature is so strong they can only keep repeating the sadistic acts.

Animal abusers are rarely mentally ill people, but animal abuse is a symptom of severe mental disorder. The mentally ill are rarely aware of the consequences of their actions, while the mentally disturbed are aware of their actions and their consequences. Animal abusers are psychopaths who intentionally know what they do and who are fully aware of their actions and the consequences, but do not empathize with other living beings. The most important thing for them is to be satisfied by expressing power and control over the helpless creature and thus find ease for their frustrations and / or complexes.

Animal abusers often seem like harmless people. Often they live a usual and normal life, yet animal abusers are five times more prone to commit violence against people, compared to the rest of the populace. Often trying sadistic methods leads to the harassment of people. Also, many killers of animals used animals to practice on, and then are able to effectively abuse and killing people.

Child animal abusers are potentially very dangerous people and usually exceed the performance of serious criminal offences.

“Murderers very often start out by killing and torturing animals when they were children,” says Robert K. Ressler, who worked on the development of profiles of serial killers for the FBI.

Also research from the FBI, and the world’s other police and security agencies have shown that animal cruelty is one of the common factors that appear regularly in the computer records of serial rapists and murderers.

Professional literature for diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals as a diagnostic criterion for the treatment of these disorders.

Lack of action by the society towards animal abuse and abusers indicates that the society is not ready to enter into its “dark spheres.” Specifically, in the western developed countries there are also cases of severe animal abuse, however, any such case is covered by the media and the general public is involved in finding the offenders, and the names of animal abusers and murderers are publicly disclosed. Also, the sanctions for offenders are rigorous and exercise a preventive and repressive function. Most importantly, the authorities are consistent in identifying and punishing animal abusers. Western society understands that animal abuse is a serious anomaly in the behaviour and psyche of man, and therefore many efforts are made to prevent animal abusers and killers.

The problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina is that the protection of animals is often identified with the financial situation in the country. It is a complete absurdity.

Financing services for the protection of animals is not an expensive processs which can be financed only by economically developed countries. On the contrary, the construction and funding of animal shelters and services for the protection of animals is the cheapest and the most effective option to protect animals.

Bosnian society does not understand that animals are unable to fight for themselves and there is a complete lack of empathy for those who suffer. This means that this society as a whole has a pathological feature. What individuals and this society does not want to understand is that animal abusers are people with pathological personality features who tend to become abusers and killers of people (if not already). Prosecution and sanctioning of animal abusers are the basic functions of protecting animals. Special prevention sends a message to abusers that if they reoffend their offence against animals, they are to be arrested and punished. The general prevention message is sent to the society. The state and the judiciary do not tolerate animal abuse, and the problem is recognized as a deep social anomaly and that each abuser is to be punished. This is not happening in Bosnia Herzegovina.

“Research in psychology and criminology has proved that violent behavior towards animals may be the first sign of pathological violence that inevitably leads to human casualties.”

News reports (in Bosnian):
Kozarac kod Prijedora: Bahonjić priznao da je Alića ubio čekićem i pokušao ga zapaliti

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DONATIONS

Funds are needed not only to help individual rescues but also to continue our advocacy work in Bosnia Herzegovina, uncovering the truth about what is happening there.

On our sister site, Animal Welfare Advocates for Bosnia, you can set up a monthly donation via PayPal, or if you want to make a one-off donation, please go to your PayPal account (or set one up, it’s very easy) and send the money to: donations@awabosnia.org . Click on the image below to be taken to PayPal’s home page.

Or if you want to use the customised PayPal form, click the link below. However, a transaction fee and a percentage (2- 5.4%) will be deducted by PayPal for any contribution made.

If you want your contribution to go to a specific dog or cause, please make a note in the PayPal comment box. If you wish to contribute via bank transfer or have other difficulties or questions, please go here.

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Dogs Brutally Slaughtered in Bosnia Herzegovina

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

Two recent reports of dog killings in Bosnia: a rescuer visited an area outside of Sarajevo, where she feeds strays and found two dogs killed, including the mother of young puppies. And north west of Sarajevo, in the town of Bugojno, a pregnant female dog was found dead, and the knife that killed her left nearby.

Investigations into these incidents are underway by animal advocate lawyers. If you wish to assist in funding legal investigations please donate as per the instructions below via Paypal to donations@awabosnia.org, but make sure to mark your donation as ‘legal costs’.

Please see Journalists for Animals for more details; and if you wish to help fund the documentation of such incidents by animal advocate journalists, please see the donation page on that website.

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DONATIONS

Funds are needed not only to help individual rescues but also to continue our advocacy work in Bosnia Herzegovina, uncovering the truth about what is happening there.

Or if you want to use the customised PayPal form, click the link below. However, a transaction fee and a percentage (2- 5.4%) will be deducted by PayPal for any contribution made.

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Puppy dies after horrific attack in Bosnia Herzegovina

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

This is the saddest story. On the weekend a puppy was found in Sarajevo, horrifically beaten. People telephoned Edina Pasic of Andjeo Sarajevo to come and help. She was told that the local children had beaten the dog.

In fact, currently there is no proof of who did this vile thing to a defenceless puppy, but there is no question human hands caused the horrific injuries, probably with a bat or stick to the little dog’s face. It’s likely it was not children, but someone who the dog had in fact been placed with for ‘care’ who was ultimately responsible, either directly or indirectly. If we can get to the bottom of who did the crime we will, but as it is Bosnia, even if charges are pressed, nothing will be done.

It was clear to anyone that the puppy’s jaw was broken and probably the skull fractured. Edina luckily had some liquid Metacam painkiller medication brought over by Miska in Finland – there were no vets able to operate on the dog on the weekend. This is ‘normal’ in Bosnia: X-ray is the most delicate exam that can be done there, no intensive care unit working 24/7 as in Europe or the USA.

Edina did everything she could for him while he was in her care, waiting to take the dog to the vet. Many people from all over the world rallied to help with donations. He was offered a wonderful forever home in England. His mom-to-be named him Gabriel.

Edina would have taken Gabriel straight to the vet this morning but by the time morning came, Gabriele was gone.

Edina wrote: “Our baby Gabriel closed his beautiful eyes and didn’t wake up again… I`m so sorry that we lost you my baby… Damn the one who threw you out and did this to you… Rest in peace my fairy… If my tears could bring you back you ….. Life isn`t fair… His heart couldn`t take no more… Rest in peace my baby… We all love you so so much, this is so hard for me … You will be always in our hearts.. FOREVER BABY… From all my heart thanks to Caki Bravo who was with me, and suffered with me in these difficult moments… And thanks to all animal lovers who have given me words of encouragement— I know this is hard for all of us….”

With the help of fellow rescuer Caki Bravo, little Gabriel was buried in a little plot of land where so recently Edina buried another of her rescues who did not make it.

We are sorry little one, you had a great future waiting for you and because of the cruelty of humankind it was torn away. There are no words for this sadness. Sleep well little soul. Rest in Peace.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina torture and killing animals is a common occurrence. In adults the offence is punishable by fine or imprisonment, however the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of such crimes very rarely occur. Also note that there are thousands of stray animals in the country, and it is very common for dogs to have to live on the streets as the government is not implementing adequate spay-neuter programs nor are there adequate dog shelters (it is known that public dog shelters in the country are concentration camps and used for money laundering).

Strays can be fed and monitored, and if there are funds raised, they can be put into pension (kennels). The costs are high: 90 – 120 euros per month. It would be impossible for all the strays to be taken into the rescuers homes for safety, there are thousands of them. In fact many landlords do not even allow animals. The few animal lovers in the country do the best they can, and often suffer for this, they are subject to acts of aggression from those who believe stray dogs are ‘vermin’.

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If you want to help you can donate for emergency vet supplies, for pension fees for rescued dogs and cats. Details are below.

Loved Street Dog Hanged in Gradiska, Bosnia!
Boy steals puppy and hangs it – Prnjavor, Bosnia Herzegovina
Dog’s Skull Deliberately Crushed in Bosnia Herzegovina
Dog Slaughter in Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina
Yet another brutal dog murder in Bosnia Herzegovina
Another Dog Tortured by Wire in Bosnia
DOG TORTURED IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA!
More than 40 killed dogs found in garbage dump
Poisoning of Dogs and Cats in Glamoc, Bosnia Herzegovina
Puppy burned alive in Bosnia Herzegovina!
Mass Murder of Dogs in Bosnia Herzegovina
Dog Massacre in Dobosnica, Bosnia Herzegovina
Mass Poisoning of Dogs in Bugojno, Bosnia
Dog Beheaded in Bosnia

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Loved Street Dog Hanged in Gradiska, Bosnia!

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

Simo lived in the courtyard between three buildings in the town of Gradiska, Bosnia Herzegovina. He was much loved by several of the tenants of the buildings, who fed and looked after him. Although he was a street dog, he’d been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. One of the tenants sometimes brought him into her flat and let him play with her kittens.

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Simo, when he was alive, spending time in the flat of one of the tenants who cared for him…

Last night Simo was with her in the apartment, and he went out at 2 a.m. Shortly afterwards, his life was brutally taken: Simo was hanged.

Tenants say they always heard if he barked at strangers, so they assume that a person well-known to Simo was responsible for this atrocity as no one heard anything, they did not hear him bark.

In the morning they found him hanging from a pole, dead. The police were called and they inspected the scene. The lawyer of the animal welfare Association “SOS Sapice” in Gradiska will attempt to press charges against the unknown perpetrators.

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Found, hanging, dead….

“This is a shame for our town…people…children… I hope that this will never happen again in our town….I hope that the miserable human will be shamed at least a little bit…”

From the photographs of Simo taken when he was alive (see the slideshow below) you can see how much he was loved and taken care of, and how much he enjoyed his life. And now it is gone.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina torture and killing animals is a a common occurrence. In adults the offence is punishable by fine or imprisonment, however the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of such crimes very rarely occur. Also note that there are thousands of stray animals in the country, and it is very common for dogs to have to live on the streets as the government is not implementing adequate spay-neuter programs nor are there adequate dog shelters (it is known that public dog shelters in the country are concentration camps and used for money laundering). Much loved strays can be fed and monitored, but it would be impossible for all the strays to be taken into homes for safety. In fact many landlords do not even allow animals. The few animal lovers in the country do the best they can, and often suffer for this, they are subject to acts of aggression from those who believe stray dogs are ‘vermin’.

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Much loved, much missed. R.I.P. Simo

If you have any information that can help the investigation, please contact the Association “SOS Sapice” in Gradiska at +387 (0) 51 813915 or Daliborka Čolić on + 49 (0) 17661297780 or contact us at info@awabosnia.org.

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Dog Killing in Travnik: lone rescuer struggles against all odds

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

Recently we highlighted a small sterilisation programe for the strays Anela Elkazevic takes care of in Travnik, Bosnia Herzegovina. Anela is out on the streets right now, trying to find the puppies of Rose who was killed in the last 24 hours.

Andrea Kalman and I met Anela when we travelled to Bosnia in September. We spent the whole day with her in Travnik. The situation there is particularly dire because Anela is on her own in a town of people that for the most part hate dogs. Anela has young children, including a new born baby. Yet she protects, feeds and tries to find homes for her pack of strays – over 40 of them. When Andrea and I arrived she took us to see them…. immediately we came across a group of children who were throwing rocks at the strays. This is ‘normal’ behaviour for her to deal with, and far far worse things have happened. AWABosnia has been discussing ideas for a project that could involve children in Bosnia Herzegovina, encouraging them to protect rather than abuse dogs. So many studies show a link between abuse of animals and violence against people. “Murderers … very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids,” says Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the FBI.

But in the meantime, Anela struggles to do what she can with very limited resources. It is remarkable she keeps her sanity. Another of the dogs in her pack, Beba, was raped. Others have been shot by hunters.

As we were taken around the area to meet her pack It was abundantly clear that the dogs adore Anela. They follow her everywhere, tails wagging, eyes bright. She does whatever she can to keep the pack happy and healthy…. and alive.

Today, she found the body of Rose, one of the dogs in her care who she had found in September with her tiny puppies.

Anela sent this message to us yesterday:

“Problems again… last night I had fight with some man, he was trying to kill dog, one by one, with a knife. I start to chase him with my car, I chased him about 20 minutes, but he run away. and my car get broken ..auch..I don’t know the word and don’t have a time for dictionary… it is that part when you going to the holes and bad road, it makes you not to feel , and protect car ( amortizeri in Bosnian ). So, I can’t move my car and I have missing dog.. it’s little Rose. I didn’t see her since last night, first I thought she is not hungry, when she didn’t appear, puppies were not crying, so I just left. Then, this morning, she didn’t come again, I called her, nothing. I checked security camera – she wasn’t there last night, not at all. I searched for her all day, but I didn’t find her , and not her babies too. I have to find puppies, she could be killed. ….I have more new dogs, more females. I don’t know what to do. It is magic circle..today kids bring to me little female of golden retriever. She is about 5 months old I think and males start to jump on her..also, another female is dumped on the road – yesterday she was waiting all day for her owner I watched it from my window, then I picked her up and she is with young males now, but she looks so sad. I don’t know, I can’t understand people who are doing this.”

And then she found Rose’s body.

She wrote, just an hour ago….

I find her…dead…I don’t know if I can….If I am allowed to be sad, there are many souls who needs me with smile on my face, and they know if you put a mask on your face, I just can’t hide my suffering from them. Rose wasn’t just another dog who came into my pack, she managed to come into my heart, with her loyality, with her trying to be “my dog”, running after my car from that house beside vet station – to my mother’s or my place. She is one of those dogs I could never leave to go, if I had a house. I’m still looking for her pups.

Here is Rose with her puppies when Anela first found her:
Another one of ‘her’ dogs in the pack of strays is Beba. Some time ago Beba was hit by a car and all her legs were broken. Anela dropped everything to take care of her, and although the vet insisted Beba should be put to sleep, Anela spent more than three months nursing her back to health. And then a local man kidnapped Beba and raped her. Anela did what she could for the bleeding and physical trauma, and Beba healed well, but how long before someone tries to hurt her again? There is no where safe in Travnik for Anela to keep these dogs. Unless someone offers to sponsor her pension in Sarajevo… or offers her a forever home… all Anela can do is keep vigil.

Andrea Kalman with Diablo

Another dog, Diablo, is a gorgeous black dog. This dog was an owned dog, dumped on the streets near Anela. The locals think he is dangerous and hate him, probably because he is black. Andrea’s two eight year old twins were cuddling this lovely dog… and still the locals stood by telling us that the dog was dangerous. There is a YouCaring specifically for Diablo as he needs veterinary treatment for a chronic sinus infection that is probably the result of a brick being thrown at him. And, of course, he needs a forever home. A more lovely dog you could not find.

Another dog, Bobby, Marianne’s Dog Food Bank and AWABosnia raised funds to be taken off the streets to King Pension in Sarajevo has he desperately needed radical surgery on his genitals. He is now doing really well.

But…Anela has no consistent help from any group or individual. She rarely makes calls for help on her Facebook wall, she’s far, far too busy taking care of her baby, her other children, and trying to keep safe her pack of strays. She is usually out at night patrolling the streets. She has no one to help her at, no fellow rescuers to stand by her side.

If you can help by sharing this blog, or by sending donations to help her feed, give veterinary care for and sterilise all the dogs in her care that would be wonderful. Her Paypal is ferid.d@global.net.ba. Or money can be sent to AWABosnia to donations@awabosnia.org – Please mark for ‘Anela’. And please view the slideshow below – if you see a dog you fall in love with and can offer a forever home, please contact info@awabosnia.org.

Note that In Bosnia and Herzegovina torture and killing animals is a a common occurrence. In adults the offence is punishable by fine or imprisonment. The arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of such crimes very rarely occur.

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Related posts:

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DONATIONS

Funds are needed not only to help individual rescues but also to continue our advocacy work in Bosnia Herzegovina, uncovering the truth about what is happening there.

Or if you want to use the customised PayPal form, click the link below. However, a transaction fee and a percentage (2- 5.4%) will be deducted by PayPal for any contribution made.

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Saving the Dogs of Gladno Polje, Bosnia

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

Gladno Polje is a public “shelter” on the outskirts of Sarajevo that has existed for 3 years. 150-200 dogs live in this shelter in horrific conditions, and more dogs and puppies are constantly being dumped, some in dire need of veterinary care.

If it were not for dog-catchers taking dogs off the streets to who-knows-where, dogs would probably be better off on the streets than in this awful place.

When Andrea and Sandra visited Gladno a few weeks ago, it was late afternoon. But because there is no electricity in the shelter, the inside part where there are many dog pens was in pitch darkness. The sensation of walking into this space is impossible to truly describe. All we could make out were some of the dogs’ eyes as they looked desperately at us through the bars of their pens. The smell was completely overpowering – there had been no running water that day, so the volunteers hadn’t been able to clean the pens, and the sound, the sound of barking, of screaming really… in this pitch darkness, and the air so thick with the smell of excrement and fear. Our eyes stung, it was hard not to stop ourselves from retching. And yet the volunteers were in there, in the darkness, doing everything they could, without complaint…

Video footage taken during Andrea Kalman and Sandra Jensen’s visit in September, 2014:

Sanela Kotorić Etterle, one of the main volunteers

The animal welfare law in Bosnia Herzegovina, which was created in 2009, stipulates that public shelters should provide adequate care for strays. Unfortunately this is not the case.

“..for five years no one has been fined for animal abuse; for five years there has not been a systematic approach to sterilization across BiH, for five years the inspection authorities across BiH have failed to conduct inspections and oversight of shelters, which are in fact torture camps for animals that exist under dubious and even criminal conditions and hygienic services operating outside of the law…” states Snezana Vidovic, President of the association for animal rescue and protection, Sapa Zenica. “… Shelters are not waiting rooms for death or a gathering places for animals waiting in line to be euthanized. Shelters should not be like the modern Alcatraz, but should be places that have an open door policy, transparency, are responsible and have a work ethic, and are places that you want to visit to adopt a dog.” Please read the full interview here.

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this dog was recently dumped at the shelter… she has a growth on her teats…

Inga Dujmovic, Senior Associate of the State Veterinary Inspector for animal welfare in Bosnia Herzegovina says: “It is not enough to just build shelters. You must build an entire infrastructure of people to work in shelters in order for them to function. Especially because you are dealing with a large number of animals and there is an enormous amount of work. Hence, whoever goes into the business of running shelters must be ready for the fact that it entails a lot of work and that everything depends on the prescribed regulations. Conditions are definitely unhygienic and it appears that the shelters are over capacity.”

Inga Dujmovic was recently interviewed and she was asked if the Veterinary Inspector Department of BiH has jurisdiction over shelters. Her answer was: “Veterinary Inspector Department does have jurisdiction, however, we have not conducted shelter inspections.” When asked Why? she said: “The answer to that question must be sought from the Director of the Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

one of the dogs in the inside pens…

Gladno Polje shelter, unlike many public ‘shelters’ in Bosnia, does have a tiny group of three volunteers trying to help them. These volunteers fundraise for food, hay and also to try and do some work on the building itself and to build some better pens for the dogs.

There are in fact employees who are paid to work in the shelter (or as we heard recently, haven’t been paid for the past couple of months). But very little is done at all… and as you can see from the photographs the place is in terrible condition, virtually falling down. The dogs are fed trash from restaurants, and very likely are abused by some of the workers – there is no proof, but the volunteers say it is possible to see the evidence on the dogs and in the dogs’ behaviour.

The shelter does not pay for sterilisations, so any unsterilised dogs have to be kept apart from the others.. if it’s possible. The only medical treatment received is if the volunteers are able to raise funds.
The dogs are in constant need of vaccines, flea protection and deworming pills. The volunteers also feed about 50 abandoned and street dogs in the municipality of Gladno Polje, who roam outside of the shelter. There is no room to bring them inside.

There is no heating in the shelter, only water, and often not even that – the volunteers have to bring water in, by hand. Volunteers try to supplement the dogs’ food as much as possible with donations (about 60 euros is needed per day).

conditions inside the main building are horrific

The roof of the building is damaged so it is leaking every time it rains. A lot of the dogs don`t have dog houses and many have nowhere to hide from the elements. Many dog boxes are either damaged or completely collapsed. Hygiene is very bad. There is no quarantine, so dogs brought in from the street are right away mixed with the dogs who are already at the shelter. The yard of the shelter is not properly fenced, so hungry dogs are constantly getting into fights with one another.

Video footage taken during Andrea Kalman and Sandra Jensen’s visit in September, 2014:

This little dog was adopted and then returned to Gladno Polje for not using the toilet outside… no one thought to teach him……

The fundraising event of AWABosnia is to try and assist the volunteers on the ground first and foremost with much needed funds for materials for urgent repairs of the shelter, for dog houses, for hay balls. Without this, many of the dogs, puppies in particular, will not survive the winter. And those who do survive, will be suffering immensely with no heating, damaged boxes, missing or damaged dog houses, no blankets or straw….wet, cold, scared dogs everywhere.

Below is video footage taken by Sanela Kotorić Etterle, the main volunteer who does everything she can to ensure the well-being of the dogs. But one person can only do so much… and there are so many dogs…

Just in the last week there have been some unforeseen difficulties with Gladno Polje shelter. The shelter director has stated he is not sure how long the shelter will be in existence and he suggested to her that she take as many dogs to safety as possible. None of this has been confirmed yet, but there’s a possibility that another organisation will be taking over, possibly Lokom, the hygiene service who the Sarajevo government employed to catch and remove strays (see Stray Dogs of Sarajevo to be Killed in Election Ploy and Animal rights activists claim: stray dogs are being killed two days after being caught).

No one is offering any official information, but the news does not bode well for the dogs at the shelter. Lokum does not have a good reputation to say the least, and so far no public shelter has had public funds put into it to make it a liveable place for dogs.

It will be no small thing to re-house 150 – 200 dogs. In the meantime the volunteers will do what they can to make sure the dogs are fed and that any construction work done is removable.

Please join the AWABosnia FB Event: Help the dogs in Gladno Polje survive the winter!

And please share this blog with your friends. If these 200 dogs have to be moved, an extraordinary amount of assistance will be needed. Pensions normally cost around 120 euros per dog, fosters are virtually impossible to find and the difficulties involved in building a private shelter are almost insurmountable (please see Dog Shelters in Bosnia: A Complex Situation).

January 11 2015 CRITICAL UPDATE: Please see
Uncertain future for Dogs at Gladno Polje Shelter in Sarajevo

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Boy steals puppy and hangs it – Prnjavor, Bosnia Herzegovina

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Sandra Jensen

Article on Taco.net, May 8 2014
English Translation:

“A boy aged 11 from Prnjavor town admitted a terrible misdeed. In the presence of psychologist, teacher and school principal the boy shrugged his shoulders when asked why he killed the puppy, Eleven year old K.S., a student of fifth grade of Primary School in Prnjavor town, stole the dog which was owned by his neighbors, played with it before he hanged the dog in the attic of an abandoned house. Police, social services, animal welfare organizations as well as the responsible people at the school were notified about the misdeed.

Mr. Ljubo Mitrovic, the shocked owner of the three month old ill-fated puppy, confirmed to the “Novosti” newspapers that the boy admitted his action. “We are disgusted with how the life of our innocent dog Rio has ended. We are especially disgusted because the morbid execution was committed by a child,” Mr. Ljubo Mitrovic commented bitterly. His grandsons Nemanja and Milos still believe that their pet dog will show up and come back home. Nobody at their home has dared to tell them the terrible truth. “Without any regret, he admitted to the school psychologist, school counselor, his teacher and the school principal that he hanged our dog Rio. His defense was shoulder shrugging, “added Mr. Mitrovic.

The eerie scene in the attic of the abandoned house in Zivojina Preradovica street, close to the main road in Banjaluka-Prnjavor, even shocked police officers. The lifeless body of a little dog, with a rope tightly tied around its neck, tied to a beam in the attic, reminded them of scenes from horror movies.

As it turned out, K.S. took advantage of the absence of the dog’s owner and stole it from the building’s yard. Confronted with the evidence, since he was spotted by other neighbors, the boy brought the dog’s owner to the crime scene. Police investigated and the case has been passed onto the social services who will try to find a solution. Because of the boy’s age it will not be possible to file criminal charges against him.

Severin Mitrović (age 38), Ljubo’s son, and father of children Nemanja and Milos, stated that when he talked to the mother of K.S. about her son’s behavior she just shrugged her shoulders due to her inability to change her son’s behavior for the better. K.S. is a child of divorced parents.

He has hanged kittens as well the dog Rio – who was loved by children who lived on Jovana Ducica and Zivojina Preradovica. The citizens of the town are not only sad, they are now in fear as well. Details of K.S’s earlier anti-social behaviour in both the school and the street have surfaced after Rio was killed. Citizens stressed that on one occasion he hanged five kittens belonging to his neighbor. “Besides animals we are now afraid for the safety of our children, stressed the upset and outraged citizens.” ”

Please note that In Bosnia and Herzegovina torture and killing animals is a a common occurrence. In adults the offence is punishable by fine or imprisonment. The arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of such crimes very rarely occur.

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IN MEMORY OF VUČKO

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

Tag Archives: animal abuse

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Demonstrations Against Massacres of Strays a Success!

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

The Importance of Fighting Against Cruelty to Animals

Murderer apprehended in Bosnia also a killer of dogs

Dogs Brutally Slaughtered in Bosnia Herzegovina

Puppy dies after horrific attack in Bosnia Herzegovina

Loved Street Dog Hanged in Gradiska, Bosnia!

Dog Killing in Travnik: lone rescuer struggles against all odds

Saving the Dogs of Gladno Polje, Bosnia

Boy steals puppy and hangs it – Prnjavor, Bosnia Herzegovina