04/17/15 Brinje - A Part of Ancient, Primitive and Cruel Past
Animal Friends horrified with Brinje County planning to "eliminate" stray dogs with poison
- Poisoned animals die a horrible, painful death, which is why poisoning has been prohibited by law
The notice in which Brinje County, together with the veterinary ambulance of the same name, announces its decision to "get rid of" stray dogs by planting poisoned food looks like some sort of an April fool's joke, while in reality, we are dealing with a terrifying truth about a part of the country seemingly not in the same time and space as the rest of us.
Because the notice is accompanied with a photograph and has no specific date on it, in order to make actual sense and to be in accordance with the law, it would have to predate the invention of the camera that the photograph was taken with.
Its authors could, according to the Criminal Law, face years in jail (that is, if the notice is not indeed a cruel joke). They might, on conviction, also be required to pay up to 100.000 kunas, according to the Animal Protection Act.
There is a warning at the very end of the notice, stating that the bodies of lethally poisoned animals have to be reported – it is like reading a manual from the Middle Ages. Still, the contact numbers listed indicate that the whole thing is in fact very recent; as recent as the Internet, in fact. The same Internet on which we can find and actually read the regulations of the Criminal Law and the Animal Protection Act. Through these laws, people are instructed to organize shelters, incorporate animal care programs, participate in adopting as well as spaying their pets, and lastly, to educate, especially the youth, about animal rights.
In conclusion, this might very well be an educational occurence, a unique situation in the country, which says more than enough about the lack of animal protection, as well as, about not abiding by those laws that have already been relevant for quite a while.
Public note from Brinje County concerning this case can be obtained here.