Dear friends,
as you know we are witnesing an unprecedented anti-dog campaign led by authorities and media that has led to the approval of a mideval changes in Regulation 41 (the one for shelters) today.
We are taking part in a protest organized by a number of Animal Wellfare NGO’s against the methods of work of Minister Naydenov and his clerks.
The protest will take place this Friday – April 20-th and starts at 01 p.m. at the Council of Ministers. If you can – do come – we are the only voice for animals.
The following declaration will be handed to the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov:
To: General Boyko Borisov
Prime Minister of Bulgaria
DECLARATION AGAINST CHANGES IN THE ANIMAL PROTECTION ACT
Dear Prime Minister,
We protest against the behavior of the Minister for Agriculture and Foods Miroslav Naydenov and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency CEO Yordan Voynov.
We protest against the attempts of the authorities to cover up their long years of doing nothing and violating the Animal Protection Act in regards of reducing the stray dog population.
We do not accept the allegations made that we – the Animal Wellfare Organizations of Bulgaria are to blame for the fact that there are still stray dogs on our streets. We do not accept the allegation that the Animal Protection Act is not working.
We protest against the proposed changes in the law as we are determined that they will only intensify the problem. We believe these changes will lead to:
-ineffective government control and total lack of citizen control;
-covering up of systematic violations of the authorities (both municipalities and government) by replacing the method recommended by the World Health Organization – Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return with a mass withdrawing of the dogs from the streets – a practice we have seen fail for over 10 years already;
– legitimizing cruelty to animals by quick incarcerations of the dogs in so-called “temporary pounds” that are in fact concentration camps for dogs, even worse than the isolators that shamed our country before 2008;
-limiting the rights of Animal Wellfare Organizations by taking away any say by us in regards of the changes in written nomenclature, concerning our work, guaranteed by article 52 of the Animal Protection Act, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; the European Active Citizenship Charter;
-the propagation of hatred toward Animal Welfare groups and organizations who are in fact of great help in implementing the law locally;
We insist that:
-a National Strategy be quickly made to solve the growing stray dog problem. A strategy that includes Animal Welfare Organizations and is based on a detailed strategy and plan for the country and each Municipality in particular: mass castration and return to the place of dwelling and withdrawing dogs to shelter only after the dumping of animals has been seized;
-a stronger governmental and public control in implementing this strategy;
-stronger measures in carrying out medical prophylactic against parasitosis and zoonosis such as tapeworm and Rabies;
-and severe sanctioning of officials who are not working according the acting Bulgarian legislation.
The current Law gives more than enough mechanisms to reduce the stray dog population in a humane, quick and efficient way and it is only the lack of implementation that is to blame for the poor results. We are convinced that the problem can only be solved if there is a long-term plan, based on expertise and cooperation, one that you have made an example of during Your mandate as Mayor of Sofia.
We count on Your intervention to improve the control and implementation of the Animal Protection Act and also make sure that the officials that are responsible for impeding it’s implementation sustain their political responsibility.
April 20, 2012
The declaration will be signed by all Animal Welfare Groups who have supported the protest. Including Animal Rescue Sofia.
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