This week will be the beginning of more mass killings.
The following is a letter sent to Best Friends by Slavica Mazak Beslic, the President of the Society of Friends of Animals. FRIEND-EPAR, in Serbia.As do a number of countries, Serbia still uses poisoning as a means of animal control, which, of course, is very inhumane. Slavica has been tracking the mass killings of animals in Serbia, which take place first in one city, then in another. FRIEND-EPAR also runs a shelter for homeless dogs.
Their campaign against the killing of street dogs is on-going. They are advocating a comprehensive spay/neuter/vaccination program for all dogs in Serbian cities, which would control the animal population effectively, as well as allowing the animals to live out their lives peacefully.
Stray animals to be killed in the city of Nis!
By: Slavica Mazak Beslic
The Society Friends of Animals FRIEND-EPAR
Serbia, Subotica
December 18 is the date the execution for stray animals is to begin!! More than 5000 stray dogs will be killed by T-61, a poison, at the center for inhumane killings in the southern part of Serbia; this will be conducted by JKP Medijana in the city of Nis. This is the city's garbage dump where they execute all stray animals that they capture. The promise to kill all these poor animals was made by the director of services for garbage collection in Nis, Serbia. The date that he set for the killing of these animals is December 18, 2006.
We need all the help that we can get to put a stop to this inhumane treatment towards stray animals in our region.
We are in desperate need for all people that have it in their heart to help these animals get a chance at life to contact people/organizations/media that can put a stop to these massive killings and to become a voice for these animals getting killed. In Belgrade, Zrenjanin and Novi Sad in the garbage dumps of these cities are also centers where they execute stray animals. Now we have been informed there is a new center specifically made for the killing of stray animals.
If you visit our site, we inform the public of the way the garbage dump service in Serbia is used for mass killings of animals and how the veterinary services have not done anything to stop this from happening.
These killings are also done for bounty by garbage collectors who are promised money in return for each killed stray animal. Many have made a business of killing stray animals for extra income.
The government has not done anything to put a stop this.
Public prosecutors do not enforce article 269, paragraph 2, from the Criminal Code of Serbia, which states: anyone who uses cruelty towards animals or kills an animal in violation of the Law of veterinary standards must be punished for up to three years in prison . These laws are not enforced, and nobody is ever prosecuted for such actions in our region.
The following email addresses are of people that have the power in our country to put a stop to these cruel doings.Most of the listed people are government officials that can enforce the laws that exist in Serbia`s Criminal Code.
Please pass this message on to all officials and media outlets that come to mind and also send emails to the following email addresses, and let's give these helpless animals a voice that can be heard around the world. They need us to fight for their lives!
President of Serbia, Mr. Boris Tadic
mrakic@predsednik.srbija.yu
Prime Minister, Mr. Vojislav Kostunica
lgvozden@sr.gov.yu
press@sr.gov.yu
Public Attorney General-Deputy, Mrs. Gordana Milosevic-Stojanovic,
rjtdz@bitsyu.net
Mayor of Nis, Mr. Smiljko Kostic
mayor@gu.ni.sr.gov.yu
Thank you for your time in this very important and devastating situation. Slavica Mazak Beslic
The Society Friends of Animals FRIEND-EPAR
Serbia, Subotica
http://www.epar.org.yu Photo: Friend-EPAR, the garbage dump at Nis, Serbia
Many thanks to Taya for her excellent translating work and to Best Friends volunteer, Pamela Benbow, for reseaching this story.