12/05/18 We are requesting for the establishment of an Animal protection inspection!
Associations of the Animal protection network are horrified by the murders of four cats in Zagreb:
- Associations appeal for the cities to impose permanent sterilization, and citizens to report animal abuse
Earlier this week in Zagreb’s settlement of Siget passersby found a horrible sight of dead bodies of four cats at two locations, both within a few minutes of walk. One cat from the local feeding spot was found in the field in a closed carton box, and three cats, who probably had their caretakers, were thrown in a garbage container where another bloody cat was wrapped in a bag. Some 40 associations that form the Animal Protection Network are horrified by the new killings of cats and strongly condemn abusers and killers of animals. Mag.iur. Ivana Lunka, the coordinator of the Network, states: “We believe that the situation is alarming and that the only effective solution is for the municipalities and cities, which have not done yet, as soon as possible impose obligatory permanent sterilization as a way to control breeding of dogs and cats. Abandoned cats that procreate on the street do not fall from the sky, but come from irresponsible custodians.”
Network associations emphasize the need to establish an Animal protection inspection, for which they have been fighting for years. Lunka adds: “Such inspection would act according to an organized system of animal protection which is already known in the world as Animal Police. It would deal with helping neglected, abandoned and abused animals. It would cooperate with shelters, police, veterinary stations and associations, and would be authorized to seek a perpetrator, charge a penalty on the spot and, if necessary, seize the animal. The work of such an inspection would have a preventive effect since such cases of murder would be sanctioned.”
Alemka Bačić from the SOS Association for cats, which is a member of the Animal Protection Network, recalls that this spring, in the same neighborhood, a domestic cat was found with 13 air gun bullets in her body. She is grateful for the fast police reaction that made an inspection and hopes that murder perpetrators will be found in order to be liable for the criminal offense of torture and killing of an animal and charged with a maximum imprisonment of one year. Nevertheless, she believes that helping cats, which are not guilty of being abandoned by their caretakers, requires the cooperation of everyone and reporting of every case of neglect, abandonment, abuse, and killing.
Discussing street cats, which are least protected, she emphasized: “We are encouraging citizens to organize feeding locations, in cooperation with the city, for all free-living cats, where citizens, that is associations for animal protection, can make sure all cats are sterilized, treated and regularly fed, and many adopted. Instead of brutal scenes of poisoned and all types of disgusting ways murdered cats, let us try together to help abandoned animals in order to improve the quality of coexistence of humans and street cats.”
The Network warns that in Croatian cities the feeding locations for cats are not well resolved, so years are needed for registration. It is therefore important that with their decisions on the manner and conditions of keeping pets the municipalities and cities impose permanent sterilization of proprietary (guardian) cats and thus humanly solve the continuous inflow of new kittens which are abandoned by their irresponsible guardians.
The law does not impose obligatory microchipping of cats, even though every guardian can microchip the cat so it is easier to find it in case it moves outside and gets lost. It is because of the lack of mandatory microchipping, when it comes to guarded cats as in this case, that it is not possible to determine who their guardian is.
Therefore, associations gathered in the Animal protection Network urge everyone to microchip and castrate male and female cats that they guard, and to report abuse, neglect, and murder of animals so that the police and state attorney can put an end to the abusers.
