Romania's Stray Dogs

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Dog culling campaign by City Hall

Crime as routine

So the dog-culling campaign in Bucharest is no longer an outrage and a scandal. It looks now more like one of those evil things that common sense indicates as avoidable, but we are told we have to live with, for instance like the occupation of Tibet, or like daily and massive famine-caused mortality in the third world.

The news from Bucharest is old news. At the beginning of October 2001, Mayor Basescu announced, with his never-missing grin, that, since the beginning of the campaign in April thThus, he cynically hinted to the generally acknowledged fact that most of the killings occur these days at night, on the streets, by means of strychnine-like poison in bits of sausages, and are unaccounted for by the official toll. In the meantime, opinion pools indicate Traian Basescu as one of the most popular politicians in Romania. His approach to street dogs problem is being replicated all over Romania (occasionally "enhanced" with shooting, drowning, relocation in remote wild areas and so on).at year, his services "officially killed more than 130,000 dogs, whose corpses were dispatched to the protein powder factory".

Maybe this is not a huge surprise in a country lagging behind in terms of democracy, civil society development, and exercise of local community autonomy, a country in which the recent authoritarian past left violence as a natural, first resort solution to most of the problems. However, isn't there something rotten in the reactions of the Western advanced countries to this unfolding monstrosity?

On one hand, tens of thousands of people all over the world signed an on-line protest petition initiated by PAW-Europe. Individuals and informal networks in Germany mobilized themselves in an exhausting effort to save tens of dogs from Romania, by organizing a steady outflow to Germany, where the dogs, many of them severely handicapped, are being adopted. Other thousands of dogs survive now in shelters in Romania, due to private donations from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, other European countries, but Canada as well. All these complement the exhausting efforts of the few, isolated and humiliated Romanian activists who, in this never ending nightmare, try to save as many innocent lives, as many as possible desperate and affectionate dogs, puppies and adults, pregnant doges and males, hundreds of pairs of terrified eyes that will be haunting us forever… Allowing daily the pick of one to save, out of one hundred gathered and doomed for immediate killing is the latest torture that the dog catchers of the City Hall are offering to these abnormal people who, instead of getting themselves busy with some serious stuff, are stubborn in … caring for dogs.

But, on the other hand, British, French, and European authorities (e.g. Baroness Emma Nicholson from the European Parliament) encouraged Romanian authorities to pursue their abuses. Occasionally they even advised Romanian authorities on avoiding the PR mistakes of the beginning. Consequently, police has been used to keep press or NGOs away from places were atrocities are carried out, all dialogue with NGOs was suspended, and constant denial is the only official reply to all protests and inquiries from private citizens. Mainstream national and international media followed the lead, and no protest or critical comment was allowed to break the gravy silence over this topic. BBC and the French "Liberation" went that far as to ridicule Mrs. Brigitte Bardot for her protests and for her generous offer to cover the costs of neutering all the street dogs in Bucharest. British Foreign Office backed the killing campaign of Traian Basescu as implemented, and the French Prime Minister stated in Bucharest that, in spite of suggestions that he ought to intervene to stop the mistreatment of animals in Romania, he did not find such intervention "appropriate".

A bitter conclusion is that animal protection organizations and activists in Romania, but surprisingly in Western Europe as well, have to date only a minor influence over political decisions and over the agenda of the main mass media. Crude reality is that there is a deep gap between the attitude and the prompt involvement of several concerned people on one side, and the options and priorities of the vast majority, followed (or steered) by the authorities, on the other side.

Hundreds of dogs continue to be killed daily by the Bucharest City Hall. The health-hazard argument has been abandoned for a long time. Nowadays, Traian Basescu says he kills the dogs in order to make Bucharest streets look like those of London or Paris, and he will reconsider the approach only when this goal is met. The killing campaign is thus a "civilizing effort". Education programmes, neutering programmes, animal protection regulations, adoption-stimulating programmes are no longer a topic. Consequently, street dogs population is already refreshing. Independent rescue shelters are over populated and rely on further foreign support to survive, while the pressure of new entries stays huge. Maybe it is the time to start a new campaign here, with new assumptions and goals.
Main contact info to take action June 15, 2005 10:08 AM
You can write to Petre Roman, the President of the Democratic Party, whose member this "dog liquidator" mayor is: [e-mail]


Ion Iliescu, the President of Romania, at:

[e-mail]

Adrian Nastase, the Romanian Prime Minister at:

[e-mail]

PDSR (The Party of Social Democracy from Romania), the ruling party, that also has the majority of seats in the General Council of Bucharest and the office of the Prefect of Bucharest, so the power to stop the Mayor from his criminal plan, at:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]


The main opposion political parties, that are also motivated to put political pressure on Mr. Basescu:

PRM, at:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

and PNL, at:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Romanian embassies:

domino.kappa.ro/mae/home.nsf/HomePageEng

Romanian National Tourist Office in New York:

212-545-8484
[e-mail]

Major Romanian newspapers, TV stations and Radio stations:

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Here is an update of the Romanian officials names and contact info.



Following the general elections in November 2004 the President of Romania is now Mr. TRAIAN BASESCU (former mayor general of Bucharest - Ion Iliescu is the former president) and the Prime Minister is Mr. CÃLIN CONSTANTIN ANTON POPESCU – TÃRICEANU (Mr. Adrian Nastase is the former prime-minister and the actual president of the chamber of deputies and also a big hunter)


1. PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA - Mr. TRAIAN BASESCU


Postal address: Palatul Cotroceni, Strada Geniului nr. 1-3, Sector 5 Bucuresti, Romania, Cod postal 060116

e-mail: [e-mail]


The administration of the president of Romania

Mr. GABRIEL-CRISTIAN PISCOCIU, Consilier de Stat.

e-mail: [e-mail]
GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA


Postal address: Piata Victoriei Nr. 1, sector 1, Bucuresti, Romania


You can send letters to the following:

Prime-minister –

Mr. CALIN CONSTANTIN ANTON POPESCU – TÃRICEANU

www.guv.ro/engleza/legaturi/mail-premier-eng.php

Chief of the chancellery of the prime-ministry –

Mr. ALEODOR FRANCU

e- mail: [e-mail]
PARLIAMENT OF ROMANIA


3.1 Chamber of Deputies

Postal address: Palatul Parlamentului, str. Izvor nr.2-4, sector 5, Bucuresti, Romania

e-mail: [e-mail]


President of the chamber of deputies - Mr. ADRIAN NASTASE

e-mail: [e-mail]

Directorate for communication, press and public relations

e-mail: [e-mail]

Senate


Postal address: Piata Revolutiei nr. 1, sector 1, Bucuresti, Romania
President of the Senate - Mr. NICOLAE VÃCÃROIU

Secretary general - Mr. CONSTANTIN DAN VASILIU

e-mail: [e-mail]

MINISTRY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Postal Address: Bd. Libertatii Nr. 12, sector 5, Bucharest, Romania

Regional Development - Mr. GABRIEL FRIPTU

e-mail: [e-mail]


SAMPLE LETTER (BY MAXINE L)

Dear Sir,

I write as a very concerned British citizen that has recently been made aware of horrendous massacres of street dogs that continues to take place throughout Romania in an attempt to ‘clean up’ it’s cities’ image. I am aware that Romania prides itself on the fact it is to join the European community in 2007. However, as a European, I can assure you that any form of extermination of the kind undertaken in your country; through the barbaric means of poisoning, beating and shooting animals to death is no longer a European option.


You have full knowledge of these atrocities that are regularly occurring and as such you have a choice. I ask you to question your own moral conscience, what crimes have these dogs committed that should ensure their death warrant? I suggest none other than being unfortunate enough to have to live on Romanian streets. By choosing not to act, you are implicitly condoning the inexcusable slaughter of innocent animals.


I strongly urge you to do everything in your power to stop the killing of street dogs and address overpopulation issues in the only proven humane way that works! The ONLY acceptable means of controlling stray animal population by civilized nations is through tried and tested sterilization programs. Please ensure a strict Spey- Neuter- Release programme is implemented throughout the entire country.

The International community is both appalled and disappointed to learn that such atrocities are being carried out in your Romania. I implore you to continue to accept assistance from International animal welfare organisations, but use it in the manor for which it is intended; namely that of saving the lives of healthy animals and not contributing to their senseless murder.


I look forward to your reply