The EU Eurogroup is meeting tomorrow, 6th November. If you haven’t already sent an email to all the Eurogroup members about the proposed amendments to the BiH animal welfare law please do so now! The 7th is the date of the second sitting of this law, there is no time to lose. Details of the meeting:

Putting Animal Welfare at the heart of the European elections
Eurogroup for Animals
Wednesday, 6 November 2013 from 11:00 to 13:00 (GMT)
Brussels, Belgium

Eurogroup members to write to:

President: Dan Jørgensen  (S&D – Denmark)
dan.jorgensen@europarl.europa.eu
Honorary President: Carl Schlyter (Greens/EFA – Sweden)
carl.schlyter@europarl.europa.eu
Honorary Secretary: Marit Paulsen (ALDE – Sweden)
marit.paulsen@europarl.europa.eu

Vice Presidents:

Kriton Arsenis (S&D – Greece)
kriton.arsenis@europarl.europa.eu
Jacqueline Foster (ECR – United Kingdom)
jacqueline.foster@europarl.europa.eu
Nadja Hirsch  (ALDE – Germany)
nadja.hirsch@europarl.europa.eu
Elisabeth Jeggle (EPP – Germany)
elisabeth.jeggle@europarl.europa.eu
Jörg Leichtfried (S&D – Austria)
joerg.leichtfried@europarl.europa.eu
Kartika Tamara Liotard (GUE/NGL – Netherlands)
kartikatamara.liotard@europarl.europa.eu
David Martin (S&D -United Kingdom)
david.martin@europarl.europa.eu
Sirpa Pietikäinen  (EPP – Finland)
sirpa.pietikainen@europarl.europa.eu
Raül Romeva i Rueda (Greens/EFA – Spain)
raul.romevairueda@europarl.europa.eu
Daciana Sârbu  (S&D, Romania)
dacianaoctavia.sarbu@europarl.europa.eu
Michèle Striffler (EPP – France)
michele.striffler@europarl.europa.eu
Janusz Wojciechowski (ECR – Poland)
janusz.wojciechowski@europarl.europa.eu

You can also write to the Italian members, but change the letter below to thank them for making a public stand against the amendments:

Cristiana Muscardini (EPP – Italy)
cristiana.muscardini@europarl.europa.eu
Andrea Zanoni (ALDE – Italy)
andrea.zanoni@europarl.europa.eu

Draft letter, please address each member by name and sign it with your name. Please personalise if possible:

Dear

As I’m sure you are aware, Bosnia Herzegovina is planning amendments to their Animal Welfare Act, amendments which will have dire consequences for stray dogs and cats. The proposal for these changes has already been legislated in the first reading in House of Representatives of Parliamentary Assembly. 18 representatives were for changes of the Law, and 12 representatives were against changes of the Law. 11 representatives were not present at the session of House of Representatives.

Further amendments can be proposed by 7th November, 2013.

The Legal – Constitutional Committee of the House of Representatives shall initiate debate on the proposed law and submit amendments on the 14th November. The second reading of the proposed changes is scheduled for 20th November, so time is short.

I request that you strongly urge the BiH government not to change the law but rather to start enforcing it. The current BiH Animal Welfare Act is excellent, it is just not enforced.

So far, only the Italian Government has intervened on behalf of the stray dogs of BiH. The Italian Ambassador in Bosnia, Mr Ruggero Corrias, asked BiH politicians to start enforcing the existing law, not to amend it. (Please see: http://www.lastampa.it/2013/10/24/societa/lazampa/bosnia-italia-chiede-al-parlamento-di-non-uccidere-i-cani-randagi-1wZsHQNIoyP6Rr1e0aKywI/pagina.html.)

I ask you to follow the Italian example.

If proposed changes become effective, euthanasia would be performed within 15 days from a stray dog’s arrival in a shelter. While this may sound like an effective way to deal with a burgeoning stray animal population, typically in BiH, ‘euthanasia’ is performed by clubbing, injections of bleach, and other similarly torturous methods. Of course, there are more humane, internationally acceptable and proven methods to control the stray dog population, in particular Trap-Neuter-Return. International animal welfare groups have been assisting in Bosnia Herzegovina as well as in other countries in the region, to control the street dog population, and there are many examples of success. For example Dogs Trust completed a sterilisation program in June 2013, sterilizing 3000 dogs. If the new amendments to the Animal Welfare Act are implemented, it’s highly likely these 3000 dogs will be taken to shelters and ‘euthanised’. Also, please note that funds poured into government shelters are commonly misused, with none of the funds actually going to the care of the dogs.

Right now Praca Shelter in Sarajevo is undergoing investigation regarding how funds – BAM 1,000,000.00 (€500,000 or $ 700,000) – were actually used (recent visits to this shelter once again show absolutely horrific conditions). It is common knowledge amongst animal activists in Bosnia Herzegovina that public shelters are used for money laundering. If the proposed changes to the Animal Welfare Law are implemented, it will simply mean it is easier for the shelters to continue an influx of dogs, killing them in the cheapest way possible (not humanely) and using the funds elsewhere, not for the dogs.

The world is watching Bosnia Herzegovina. Please join with Italy and animal welfare advocates to publicly condemn BiH’s proposed changes to the Animal Welfare Act and demand that they enforce the provisions of the law.

With Kind Regards,

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As stated in other posts, the activists need our support with donations to help them in the next days to campaign. Any amount will help, no matter how small. There is a YouCaring fundraiser especially for this:  https://www.youcaring.com/kill-law.

Please sign and share the petitions.

RELATED POSTS ON THIS BLOG:

• ANTI KILL-LAW FIGHT – HOW TO HELP
• ANTI KILL-LAW FIGHT CONTINUES
• EUROPE! FOLLOW ITALY’S EXAMPLE!
• KILL-LAW DEBATE IN BOSNIA
• BOSNIA ABOUT TO IMPLEMENT KILL LAW!
• THE HORROR SHELTERS OF BOSNIA – SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!
• Bosnia Killing Dogs – No Different to Romania!
• BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT
• 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”

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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 . 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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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.