Lord George Noel Gordon Byron said: '[T]he art of angling [is] the cruelest, the coldest, and the stupidest of pretended sports.' Reviewing our activities this month, we do agree with him. Before this, let’s have a look back at the summer actions of the Animal Friends Croatia.

In this issue:
- Day of Fighting Animal Experiments
- Open Doors at the Dog-Shelter Dumovec
- Suffering from Canada to Boiling Water!
- Fish are not Swimming Vegetables
- News and Announcements

Day of Fighting Animal Experiments

Marking the first Day of Fighting Animal Experiments, the activists of Animal Friends Croatia did two 'rehearsals' by demonstrating in front of two companies, Novartis Pharmaceuticals (July 12th) and two days later in front of Roche. Pictures of the actions in front of these two companies that directly finance the biggest animal testing lab in Europe, Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) – stationed in England, can be viewed at the web portal of our organization.

On the first Day of Fighting Animal Experiments, July 21st, 70 members and opposers of animal experiments from Zagreb, Pula, Krizevac, Split, and Varazdin assembled in front of Pliva's research center which only shortly ago was purchased by the world's second biggest pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. After twenty minutes a protest march formed where activists carried banners calling paroles lasting one hour until they arrived at the Ban Josip Jelacic square. The marking the first anniversary of the beagle rescue from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Zagreb also was accompanied by the rescued beagles, who attracted the attention of numerous media.

Open Doors at the Dog-Shelter Dumovec

On Wednesday July 26th, a press conference was held at the city pound for abandoned animals in Dumovec where a public appeal was sent with the aim of promoting the adoption of abandoned animals. At the conference was also shown a short presentation of the construction of the Shelter, the advancement of the work could be seen too.

Animal Friends Croatia participated Open Doors at the Dog-Shelter Dumovec and this in connection with the campaign against abandoning pets before leaving on summer vacations which this year were supported by TV moderator Tatjana Juric and the art director of the campaign Viktor Drago.

Suffering From Canada to Boiling Water!

As guided by the thoughts of Lord Byron in the introduction, a part of our summer campaigns were devoted to one of the most neglected animals regarding fight for their rights and protection, those are lobsters and fish!

On August 10th two activists symbolically locked themselves into a fish tank wherewith they wanted to protest against the abuse of lobsters who after a distressful journey from Canada across Italy to the fish tanks of Metro’s chain stores finalize their lives in boiling water in (Croatian) households. This is the first actions of this kind were our activists draw attention to the suffering of these animals. The action itself, held under the sign of trying to rescue lobsters in other European countries, attracted great interest from the media. The lobster rescue action will be continued with our online petition (www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=647) as well as at our regular info-stalls in Zagreb and Split. The petition will be handed over directly to Metro.

Fish are no swimming vegetables!

This action was done a week later in front of the Hotel Dubrovnik. Activists of the Animal Friends Croatia 'entangled' in fishing nets wished to draw the public’s attention to the fact that also fish are animals and that also they do not feel less pain than a human being. Being forcibly pulled out of the sea and freshwater depths their suffering might last hours, days, sometimes even weeks. Appealing to the additional great ecological consequences of fishery, as well as the harm of fish-meat consumption, due to its high level of cholesterol and heavy metals Animal Friends Croatia invite the citizens to not eat seawater or freshwater animals, actually to become vegetarians. And while we draw the public’s attention to the suffering of fish, Croatian president Stjepan Mesic proudly poses with a fish he killed for pure fun in front of the media people!

News and Announcements

- July 21: After in spring the Croatian daily paper Vecernji List warned that many animals, most of them otters, got killed on the streets from Garesnice to Hrastovu that go by ponds, Animal Friends Croatia send out letters to the local authorities in Garesnica as well as 'Hrvatke ceste' (Croatian roads) requesting that in mentioned areas special street signs should be set up which should warn for animal crossing. Also there should be tunnels dug under the streets, which would ease the animal's movement and reduce their risk of being killed. The authorities have so far reacted by putting up signs at the streets, which warn of pool-animals crossing.

- July 24: After Animals Friends Croatia sent a request to 'Sumarija Samobor' (Samobor Forestry Office) to stop using horses for pulling wood, the head of the Forest Management district Zagreb Stjepan Petres referred to the AFC with a letter claiming that the injured horses from Bregana are not being abused and stresses how ‘Hrvatske sume’ (Croatian Forests) endeavours to maintain them as working forces, as this was their ‘traditional role’ and ‘part of our culture’!

- July 26: Animal friends Croatia entreated one urgent veterinary and environmental protection inspection of the night club Boa in Malinska on the island of Krk due to abuse and threatening the life of a snake which is placed under the transparent dance-floor, constantly exposed to loud noise, flickering lights and vibrations.

- July 27: We invited you to give your voice against animal experimentation, by filling out the questionnaire from the European commission for the protection of animals used in experiments. Regarding the fact that the process is still being revised by the directive for animal welfare in experiments we believe that the thoughts of all of us that made their statements on animal experimentation at least in the beginning reduce unnecessary experiments and therewith be the first step towards complete abolition of all experiments on animals.

- July 28: the recently published independent study on the correctness of animal experiments confirmed low quality of research, failure in prognosis of impact in human and lack of communication with doctors that later on do clinical tests on humans. More on animal experiments in the newest edition of Testing Times newsletter.

- August 7: Animal Friends Croatia requested police intervention and reported the machinery trade Pati to the veterinary inspection, because according to complaints of citizens animals were tortured on purpose by their guardians. It was reported to us that one of the dogs has fester wounds around his neck with fresh pus, the chain-collar has grown together with flesh and skin so that parts of the collar weren't at all visible.

- August 13: Gas workers in a cornfield besides the highway Zagreb-Karlovac found two grown up dogs and their two puppies, abandoned without food or water. One of the grown up dogs was found locked in a cage, his head was stuck in the bars which the workers were barely able to move. Animal Friends Croatia reported this case to the police and the veterinary inspection.

- Do you want to cater yourself and in the same time deepen your knowledge on vegetarianism, don’t hesitate to visit www.vegemory.com and check your memory!

- The Vegetarian center on the island of Brac also this year opens its doors for you. If you are interested in vacation at idyllic Mirca on the island Brac or maybe feel like doing some relaxed work in the fruit or olive garden, visit www.vegpot.com.

- Except everyday news on the internet portal of the AFC since shortly you can also read new stories of the beagles rescued from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Zagreb, as well as other news which you can view in the rubric News on the web. In any case stay up to date with out black-white list.

- We would like to announce and invite you to the all-day vegetarian picnic, organized by the association Glas zivotinja, which will be held on August 26 at Zagreb's lake Jarun. The AFC will join the rich program, where also the German animal rights band AJ-Gang will play, with its info-stall, vegan samplings, and baking vegan pancakes.

We are sure you enjoy your well-deserved summer vacation, but we hope that at least with some part you do not forget those that suffer and need your help. In the same way we hope that you also do not forget about us, regarding the fact that only through your support we are able to continue our work. Find out how to donate and in this way support the work of the Animal Friends Croatia on our website.

For the animals,

Animal Friends Croatia