Bucharest’s City Hall has spent 10 million euros during the past 10 years in order to handle this phenomenon.
EVZ's campaign concerning the situation of stray dogs has ignited fierce debates amongst our readers. Some ask for the dogs to be put down without question, while others, scandalized, have called our editorial office and asked us to stop bolstering the killing of stray dogs.
Our objective is not one of oppression, as it was misinterpreted, but a call for unifying the actions that should be undertaken by the authorities and by the animal rights organizations.
While we’re waiting for coherent solutions upon the matter we show you a brief history of the phenomenon that spent 10 million euros from the local administration’s budget over the past 10 years.
Demolitions and Brigitte Bardot
It has always been told that the stray dogs phenomenon is due to the demolitions that occurred during the 1980’s, when many dogs were thrown out of people’s yards as homes were destroyed. In the past 20 years their numbers grew higher and higher on the streets or around factories and institutions.
Romania has no law that can handle the situation, which is still considered to be less important than the current issues of large cities.
Still, over the past 10 years, Bucharest has become increasingly known for the stray dogs, even for the foreigners. Whenever the mayors tried to act, the animal rights organizations came and promised to educate the population and promote adoptions.
By the end of the 1990’s, the former Mayor of Bucharest, Viorel Lis, has managed to create an independent dog catching service. He was later seduced by Brigitte Bardot, the former world renowned movie star, who begged that the dogs would be spared. About 10.000 dogs were caught, sterilized and were sent back to the streets during 1998-2000.
A million every year
Former Mayor Traian Basescu was immune to the charms of B.B and managed to gather some 100.000 dogs off the streets during the 2001-2003. Most of them were been put down in the same day they were taken off the streets.
The number of caught dogs was around 13.000 to 15.000 every year for the past four years, while the were only 1.000 or 2.000 adoptions every year, says Simona Panaitescu, the chief of Animal Surveillance Administration (ASA).
Despite their promises, the animal lovers did not have the strength to adopt all the dogs.
With more or less visible results, during the ten years of battle against stray dogs, the City Hall spent most of the 10 million euros on food, medicines, rents and equipments.
ASA has only two shelters for the stray dogs. One is at Theodor Pallady and can host up to 300 dogs and the other one is at Chiajna, where the monthly rent is 12.000 euros.
Panaitescu says that Bucharest’s administration has bought a property last year, near Mihailesti, where a shelter worthy of Animal Planet is going to be constructed. However, no one knows exactly when this project is going to be developed.
Not a single fine for abandoning dogs
Simona Panaitescu says that 80% of the dogs that have been adopted in the past years are still on the streets because the police does not apply the law. We have a data base with the names of every one who adopted dogs, but the police are refusing to fine the ones who break the law and do not support us in any way”, says the chief of ASA.
In the first month of this year, the Parliament ratified a law that strictly forbids killing stray dogs. The law also punishes the individuals who abandon animals with imprisonment (3 months – one year) or fines of up to 600 lei (160 euros). Yet, no one was fined by now, as the police still ignore the problem.
ASA is currently unable to catch dogs because the shelters are filled and no one comes to adopt the animals.