FOUR PAWS has launched an online protest that calls on the European Commission and Romanian mayors to stop the mass killing of stray dogs!
After the tragic incident last week in which a little boy was fatally injured by stray dogs, Romanian President Traian Basescu called on Parliament to legalise the killing of thousands of stray dogs immediately. Unfortunately he has succeeded. It is now up to the decision-making power of the Romanian mayors to put this Act into force.
We are deeply shocked by this decision. Stray dogs can now be legally killed if they’re not adopted within 14 days from a shelter. It is hugely unrealistic to think that the dogs could be adopted within this short space of time. In addition, there are not enough shelters, food or veterinary care for the dogs. The law has condemned hundreds of thousands of Romanian stray animals to a death sentence.
We are outraged that this resolution was adopted by an EU Member State. We are looking for a national solution to stop the implementation of this law. If the culls go ahead, a large part of the European population would be associated with a crime that can never be forgotten. Mass culls do not solve the issue at it’s roots: the rapid proliferation of stray animal populations. Our FOUR PAWS team practices the “Capture-Neuter-Release” method. Strays are caught, neutered, dewormed and vaccinated against rabies. They are then taken back to where they were caught and are released again, back into the area they know as home. The killing of stray animals has no lasting effect, because a new population of dogs and cats will take over the deceased dog’s territory after just one generation. The Romanian Parliament Committee has made their reactive decision based on emotion, which will result in suffering for the animals involved and no long-term solution to the stray animal issue. Despite this difficult situation, the FOUR PAWS team bravely continues to try and protect the stray dogs in Bucharest’s streets. We are not giving up and will do everything in our power to prevent a mass killing of stray dogs and to achieve a long-term humane solution!
We need a lot of support! How you can help:
Online-protest
Sign our online protest to urge the EU Commission and Romanian mayors to stop the mass killing: