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.

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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The responsibility of an animal rescuer

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Sandra Jensen

By Dalida Kozlic

Not so long time ago, I wrote a post about animal rescuers who have been doing the work of Bosnian authorities.

Summary is that NGOs, rescuers, activists and ordinary people have had to find a way to save as many animals as possible. Because of this awful and paradoxical situation, many private shelters – kennels – called “pensions” have been built in Bosnia. Rescuers are forced, at great financial cost, to take their rescues to these pensions since they cannot keep a lot of dogs at their home. Many rescuers have in fact turned their homes into shelters, but the difficulties here are enormous and there is a limited number they can keep.

When a Bosnian rescuer finds a wounded or abused stray dog or cat, they must take all responsibility if they are to rescue the animal: they must take the dog or cat to the vet on their own and they have to pay veterinary costs and costs of pensions in order to save the lives of these strays. This is the only way to save stray dogs and cats in this country, and yet all these things are actually the obligation of the Bosnian authorities. But, not only do rescuers do the authorities’ job, many of them are actually attacked by the Bosnian authorities because every time a rescuer saves the life of a stray animal, the rescuer is actually preventing the authorities from catching and then killing that animal – which means they are preventing them from pocketing money. Bosnian authorities use public dog shelters and dog catching services to launder money from the budget by killing stray animals and then pocketing money that is in fact meant for food and veterinary services for these animals. The more dogs the rescuers rescue, the fewer animals the authorities can use in these illegal money-making activities.

After 15 years of rescue work and hundreds of saved and adopted animals, I can tell you that running an animal rescue is not an easy job. There are a staggering number of animals who need help every day and if a rescuer can or cannot intervene, it’s often a case of life or death for the animal.

People often tell me they can’t visit animal shelters in Bosnia because it makes them sad. Animal shelters make Bosnian rescuers sad, too, but we refuse to let our emotions get in the way of saving lives. We understand we can’t save them all but we can and do make a difference. Alone, rescuers have shed many tears for animals they can’t save. But they get up the next day and get back into the ring as they fight for those creatures who can’t speak for themselves.

The number of lives we can save is dictated by the amount of funds raised and every adoption is a victory and a joy.

Responsibility of the animal rescuers is huge. Thousands of lives depend on us and our ability to find places to keep them safe, provide a veterinary care and find right forever homes.

Responsibility to save a being’s life is the biggest responsibility in the world. If we fail to provide the right care for saved animals, we fail to save their lives. There is a famous quote saying: “In rescuing animals I lost my mind, but I found my soul“. This is an absolute truth.

Rescue isn’t a verb, it is a promise that every rescuer gives animals.

You must make sure that whatever actions you take are in the best interest of the animals, and when you live in Bosnia it is very difficult to have the best solutions if you want to save a dog or cat’s life. Rescuers are often forced to choose between saving lives and finding finances to pay for pensions and veterinary care needed for their existing rescues. But it is a price we all pay for the situation in our country.

Rescuing doesn’t end once an animal is out of a death situation. It is important to take the time necessary with each animal and make sure that all the proper steps are taken to find them a loving, permanent home. Rescuing animals is a very high stress endeavour. Caring for them requires 24 hour a day, 7 days a week and there is an additional huge stress because of the fundraising needed to be done to do the work and to keep the animals safe. Fundraising is almost a full time job. It is important not to underestimate the amount of care and the level of commitment that is necessary to save animals in Bosnia.

As rescuers we know that every time we save an animal there is the possibility that this animal can make a profound impact on one person’s life. We dream of a day when our services won’t be needed, where there is a loving home waiting for every dog and cat in the world.

By Dalida Kozlic

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DONATIONS

Funds are needed to help individual rescues, for spay-neuter projects, for education also to continue advocacy work in Bosnia, uncovering the truth about what is happening there. Donations are managed by AWABosnia, an independent group of animal advocates. On their website, 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 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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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. Even just one dollar or one euro will help make a difference.

When Bosnian Activists do the Work of the Authorities

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Sandra Jensen

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 23.12.14

By Dalida Kozlic

The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Casualties of the war were not only people. Animals also were casualties and suffered during the war. Bosnia and Herzegovina did not have the Animal Protection and Welfare Act until 2009. This law was legislated and entered into force by Parliamentary Assembly in 2009 and now torturing and killing animals is a criminal offence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stray dogs have always been killed in Bosnia. Before the legislation of the Act for the Protection and Welfare of Animals in 2009, organised groups of hunters killed stray dogs in all cities, even in the middle of day. It was still illegal, but no one wanted to investigate and punish the hunters because they received a lot of money from Bosnian municipalities for their ‘work’.

The Bosnian Act for the Protection and Welfare of Animals is one of the best in Europe but no one is interested in this fact.

Since corrupt Bosnian authorities have decided to steal public money, some citizens have decided to implement the animal protection legislation on their own. As with many countries in the world, there are many people who love and save animals, but one thing is different in Bosnia: not only do rescuers save animals, they are doing the job that the Bosnian authorities should be doing. The authorities are obliged to establish legal shelters and hygienic services for stray dogs, but since they have not done this, rescuers are doing these things, actually they are doing whatever is legislated by the law, but on their own.

People started saving animals long before the Act for the Protection and Welfare of Animals was legislated. People saved stray animals from hunters and dog catchers. After the Act for the Protection and Welfare of Animals was legislated, everyone thought things would be different. Of course no one expected a miracle but people thought we Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 23.13.40 all would have an opportunity to see animals saved in accordance with law.

Unfortunately, just like everywhere else in Bosnia, authorities started stealing money designated for stray animals, and the number of stray animals has been increasing.

NGOs, rescuers, activists and ordinary people have had to find a way to save as many animals as possible. Because of this awful and paradoxical situation, many private shelters called “pensions” have been built in Bosnia. Rescuers are forced, at great financial cost, to take their rescues to these pensions since they cannot keep a lot of dogs at their home, and many rescuers have also turned their homes into shelters. Also, rescuers are having to catch wounded or abused dogs and take them to the vet on their own; they have to pay veterinary costs and costs of pensions in order to save the lives of stray animals. This is the only way to save stray dogs and cats in this country, and yet all these things are actually the obligation of the Bosnian authorities, but not only do rescuers do the authorities’ job, many of them are actually attacked by the Bosnian authorities because every time a rescuer saves the life of a stray animal, the rescuer is actually preventing the authorities from catching and killing that animal, and preventing them from pocketing money for these illegal actions.

If you want to know how, there is an explanation…

Corrupt authorities are often involved in the illegal killing of stray and wild animals due to basic money laundering. Politically eligible persons construct so-called public shelters for stray animals and then they invoice the government for false spay/neuter programs, as well as for the food that will in Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 23.13.16 fact never be given to the animals, and for veterinary examinations and treatment, and at the end, the means for euthanasia. Animals are tortured and killed in those shelters constantly and money is taken from the budget.

This situation is actually very bad, because the only way to protect animals in Bosnia is to force the Bosnian authorities to implement the existing laws. Rescuers and NGOs should be a part of this process, helping the authorities implement the laws. International support and pressure is the only way to force our authorities to stop killing stray animals and stealing money, as well as to force them to implement all the measures that are provided by the law.

There are so many projects and ideas that could be done in accordance to the law in order to control population of the stray animals in humane and effective ways. In this way all animals could be saved. Those projects could be focussed on both the short and the long term.

The imperative is to stop killing the animals, enable rescuers to have access to all public shelters and dog catching services, which in fact the legal obligation of the authorities, but also in this way rescuers can help maintain the shelters and help the animals. Authorities must take up their responsibility for solving this problem.

Unfortunately, the silence of many international subjects is something that we all should worry about. Only public and international pressure can force authorities to start doing their job. People who wish to help Bosnian stray animals should inform their embassies, animal protection and welfare organisations and media and tell them that things in Bosnia are no different than in Romania, that people who save animals cannot save them all, not even close, and that many more lives can be saved if our authorities are forced to implement their own laws.

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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. Even just one dollar or one euro will help make a difference.

BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Sandra Jensen

New petition:
BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT

Please sign and share. Every time someone signs, an email goes out to all to the authorities responsible for animal welfare in Bosnia Herzegovina. It’s critical that these authorities are notified of our outrage and that they do something – or else they very well might consider the approach Romania has taken.
The Romanian government has given the green-light to the mass killing of tens and thousands of stray dogs in the country’s capital.

Please read the copy of the petition letter below as it has important information regarding the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“Millions of citizens from the EU and worldwide care deeply about animal welfare and are sickened to read constant reports of horrific animal cruelty occurring in Bosnia and Herzegovina and about the shocking and increasing numbers of stray dogs in the city streets.

The problem with stray animals in this country must be addressed in a humane, forward-seeking way: compulsory spay neuter of companion animals; compulsory microchipping and registration; public education on responsible ownership and humane treatment of all animals.

Many international animal welfare organizations cite Bosnia as the country with the most reports of animal abuse and suffering. It seems that the society views stray dogs and cats as nothing more than a vermin to be exterminated – or worse.

Deliberate animal abuse is rife: there is the famous case in Ilidža, where two men put a rocket explosive firework into a young German Shepherd’s mouth and duct-taped his jaws shut, setting the rocket alight. The firework caused substantial injuries to the dog’s face, but did not kill him. He wandered about for five days before being finally rescued by animal welfare volunteers. The dog had to be euthanized. The dog’s injuries were documented by photograph and video and can be seen on the internet. Nearly 200,000 people signed petitions asking the Bosnian and Herzegovinian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, but nothing was done.

Dogs are routinely poisoned, used as bait for dog fighting; chucked into rivers to drown; beheaded, beaten, starved. Cats suffer equally appalling treatment.

Torture and killing of animals is a criminal offense in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes very rarely occur. The usual response of police officers to reports of animal abuse is that these are “unimportant offenses.” It is evident that police officers, prosecutors and judges are not trained to understand the link between animal abuse and crimes against people.

This link has been well documented over several decades. Studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. In the USA, the FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse.

According to a 1997 study, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse. Professionals in the veterinary, animal control and animal welfare fields are now seeing companion animal overpopulation as a “people problem” rather than an animal problem with the individual and collective behaviour of people as a causal agent.

The problem of companion animal, particularly dog overpopulation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a problem of epidemic proportions. It is understandable that citizens of the country are concerned about the spread of disease, and about being attacked by dogs. Unfortunately this concern only contributes to the negative view and inhumane treatment of the dogs.

Furthermore, animal rescuers are generally considered to be “fools”, people who “do not have anything better to do.” This indicates that the society in this country does not understand those who are unable to fight for themselves and their rights and has a complete lack of empathy for those who suffer. This means the society as a whole has a pathological feature: animal abuse can be a symptom not only of a personality disorder, but the disorder of a society.

Until the government and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina understand these wider implications of animal abuse and neglect, the animal overpopulation will not stop. It is vital that these implications are understood by all and that adequate means are implemented to address the situation in a lasting and humane manner.

The dog shelters of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not a solution: not only are the conditions entirely inhumane in most, if not all, state shelters, but it is common knowledge that such shelters are used to launder money from public budgets. Even when good shelters are set up they fail: a model dog shelter set up in Brcko District had to close after eight years because it was subject to sabotage, threats, abuse, theft and illegitimate lawsuits.

However, the Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina states that shelters for stray animals must be built and maintained, and this Act includes shelter guidelines which ensure all necessary conditions for a successful and humane shelter. Therefore, all those responsible for the numerous “horror shelters” of this country should be punished by law; and shelters should be built and maintained according to the Animal Protection and Welfare Act. It is necessary that foreign animal welfare organization control the conditions in Bosnian-Herzegovinian shelters and that they educate and manage the people who work in these shelters to ensure that there is no corruption or reduction of standards.

Currently population control and promotion of spaying and neutering as well as implementation of the animal welfare law is not in any shelter manager’s interest because they want and need a constant flow of new dogs so they can justify the funds spent each month from the budget. We have access to images from the state dog shelter in Banja Luka, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These images show dogs that were killed by injections of bleach and a dog killed by other dogs. Dogs in shelters are known to be ‘euthanised’ inhumanely in a number of ways including clubbing. Images from other state shelters show starving dogs and dog corpses left amongst living dogs.

Critically, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to implement a countrywide, compulsory spay neuter law for all dogs and cats, whether they are stray or not (owned dogs and cats are left unsterilized and free to roam, contributing to the problem), imposing hefty fines on those who disregard the law. Just one unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce an incredible 370,000 kittens. Male animals contribute to the companion animal overpopulation crisis even more than females do. Just one unsterilized male animal can impregnate dozens of females, creating dozens upon dozens of unwanted offspring.

Housing strays in shelters after sterilisation programs is also detrimental. A spay neuter program for strays must be C-N-R (catch-neuter-return), which is in fact the only humane and proven method to successfully curb stray animal populations, sterilising and then returning dogs to the territory where they have been caught. If the dogs are not returned back to their territory, the reproduction rate will rise directly with the catching rate (in an area where 50% of the dogs are caught and removed from the territory the rest of the 50% will breed in larger numbers due to the fact that they will use the whole food resources available). The empty place created by dogs being removed will be occupied by other dogs in search of food and shelter.

However, if the dog is returned to his/her territory, he/she will fight off and keep away newer dogs from entering his/her area, including those that are probably not sterilized and thus stop the reproduction in this area. Their number will stabilize in this manner, and reduce, slowly, but surely.

“Catch & kill” or “catch & incarcerate” policies have failed in many countries. Cities that have successfully managed and curbed their stray animal population were those that opted for “catch & return”, such Oradea in Romania, which had a stray animal population of 4,000 dogs in 2006. This has been reduced to 270 dogs in 2011 without putting to death a single animal. C-N-R is also a cost effective approach. Romanian Animal welfare organisation SOS Dogs calculated the cost over 10 years of “neuter and return” versus “catch and kill”: in a town of 200,000 people with 8,000 dogs the cost over 10 years for “catch and return” was calculated at 995.000 Euros, and the cost of Catch & Kill was calculated at 1.8 million Euros with no long term reduction in the unsupervised dog population achieved.

It is imperative that Bosnia and Herzergovina make such measures as stated above a priority. The Eurogroup for Animal Welfare is strongly urging the European Commission to adopt adequate steps to ensure that all companion animals are properly treated to protect their health and welfare.

If it is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s wish to join the EU it would seem that until their government takes crimes against defenseless, sentient animals seriously they will not be a fit country to be accepted into the EU.

Regardless of EU membership, for the sake not only of the animals but the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, internationally agreed-upon guiding principles on humane stray animal population control must be implemented, with resources allocated to ensure such principles are understood and followed by all citizens including those in the police and judicial authorities.”

Please sign and share the petition:
BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT

Relevant articles from this blog:

Dog Shelters in Bosnia: A Complex Situation
Horror Camps for Animals in Bosnia
Concentration Camp for Man’s Best Friend
Concentration Camp for Man’s Best Friend PART TWO
Mass Graves Found Near Dog “Shelter”

HRESA “SHELTER”:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven

Other relevant information, links, websites:

Care2 Petition: Demand Investigation into Horror Shelter in Hresa, Bosnia

Thinktank Policy Brief on the issue of animal welfare in Bosnia Herzegovina November 2012 (PDF)

Making the Link – A study to identify psychological effects of children regularly exposed to uncontrolled community animal abuse and evaluation of efficacy of interventions.

Occupy For Animals
Occupy for Animals – Petitions to the European Union

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DONATIONS Funds are needed not only to help individual rescues and to help us keep safe the rescued dogs we are sponsoring but also to continue our advocacy work in Bosnia, 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 as a ‘gift’. 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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IN MEMORY OF VUČKO

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

Tag Archives: animal welfare

Two dogs wounded in Sanski Most

The Importance of Fighting Against Cruelty to Animals

The responsibility of an animal rescuer

When Bosnian Activists do the Work of the Authorities

BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT