08/27/09 Animals as Business
Animal Friends reported pet stores and calls for the boycott of stores which sell animals
Animal Friends reported Kokolo d.o.o. (Ante Starcevic Square bb, Zagreb) and Pet Centar d.o.o. (Ulica kralja Tomislava 11, Zagreb) to veterinary inspections for violations of the Animal Protection Act, demanding the legal proceedings.
Although the Animal Protection Act has been in force for two years already, as well as the regulation that bans the selling of animals to minors, the pet store Kokolo displays a visible sign saying that they do not sell animals to persons under the age of sixteen.
This indicates that the owners and pet stores' employees did not get acquainted with the Animal Protection Act regulations or that they disobey these regulations on purpose. This also indicates that the veterinary inspections either have not set foot in these pet stores in the past two years or that they do not care about the regulations of the law they are supposed to enforce.
Furthermore, even after the first report in 2004, Animal Friends still receives citizens' complaints about the conditions in which animals are kept in pet stores. Unfortunately, there is still no sign that the veterinary inspection is planning on becoming more effective in its supervision. In addition to this, there is still no rule book about the conditions pet stores must fulfill, which results of making a good profit on exploiting of animals and their suffering.
Buying and selling of live animals is ethically unacceptable and should be legally banned. Breeding sites resemble common industrial factories. It is an industry that tortures living beings and turns them into mere articles, using them to create profit. After packed breeding kennels and transport, animals are exhibited in pet stores where they wait until someone picks them for their new toy, turning them into lifelong prisoners.
Animal Friends expects authorized institutions to act more efficiently and calls citizens not to buy animals and to boycott stores which sell animals, and buy food and other items for their companion animals only in stores that do not sell animals. On the web site www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr there is a list of stores in Croatia that sell and do not sell animals.
Animals are not merchandize, they are living beings who do not want to be sold as items. Instead of buying animals, Animal Friends urges citizens who have conditions to rather adopt one of the many abandoned dogs or cats and thus get a faithful friend and a new family member.
![Kokolo [ 91.00 Kb ]](/data/image_3_4889.jpg "Kokolo [ 91.00 Kb ]")
![Pet Centar [ 763.30 Kb ]](/data/image_3_4890.jpg "Pet Centar [ 763.30 Kb ]")
