ANIMAL LAW, AND POLITICS
StrayCoCo = Straydog Control through Cooperation
For Street Dogs in Kosovo
With your donation, you are helping dogs in Europe's poorest area: KOSOVO
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ANIMAL LAW AND POLITICS IN KOSOVO
What
There are thousands of stray dogs in Kosovo. Until 2022 there was no national program to solve this problem. Although our foundation is setting signs in the western part of the country, they are not recognized. Killing programs have been approved time and again by the AUVK (Food Safety and Veterinary Office). Although the shooting of dogs has been prohibited since 2007, the office allowed the city of Klina to kill 470 dogs by the hunting party in the summer of 2016. Activists and representatives on the ground have reacted and protested. Together with Driton Gusia, we started a petition, after which the program was stopped after around 380 dead dogs. You can find a local report in English below.
The Parliament has now tightened criminal law and mistreatment of animals is punished - whether enforcement will work can be doubted for the time being.
Despite the establishment of an animal rights foundation in Kosovo, street dogs are no better off. This animal welfare organization has become the mouthpiece of the current PM, saying everything nicely, while activists draw attention to the actual often gruesome treatment of street dogs. Anyone who knows Kosovo understands that paper laws are worth nothing because they are not implemented.
Where
Kosovo had few street dogs after the war until around 2008. Since then, their numbers have risen to the thousands; and there is no end in sight.
In all cities, you can see neglected and dying dogs. They are on the roadsides and in the trash heaps. Alot of dogs are abandoned around Pristina, in the Roma settlements and fields.
The photo shows the city of Prizren, which had 831 dogs killed in 2015! Officially, no corresponding order was given to large veterinarians following our protest. However, the killing continues in secret, as we are told.
There is now only one small vet in Peja, and we are no longer allowed to work there. The city has not implemented a program to reduce street dogs since 2016. There is only one small animal practice in Gijilan that is not particularly good. We achieve success in addition to Gjakova, in Vushtrri, Skenderaj/Mitrovica, and Drenas. That is why we are focusing on these regions.
While politicians and some activists want and support animal shelters, we reject this in a country with thousands of stray animals. Animal shelters are not solving the problem with suspensions.
Who
Many hopes rested on Albin Kurti, the new Prime Minister in Kosovo since autumn 2019, who promised to clean up the corruption - this would also affect the Veterinary Office!
On December 27, 2017, the former parliament decided to spend 1.3 million euros on neutering street dogs from 2018. On June 1, 2018, the state CNVR program began. However, it was a disaster, as hardly any of the country's veterinarians work sterile and can castrate well. The whole program was repeated in 2019 - and once again, many dogs fell victim to the lack of technology used by veterinarians.
3 years ago when he took office, the Prime Minister promised to introduce a program to reduce the stray dog population with the support of the Animal Rights Foundation - apart from paper, posts, and a senseless animal shelter law, nothing happened. Animal shelters don't solve the problem.
Attention! The Kosovo Animal Rights Foundation, which should work to protect animals, is now in the service of the Prime Minister. Its president has been appointed as the prime minister's “external advisor” and now serves as his fig leaf during protests. The independence of this foundation is therefore no longer guaranteed!
Source: Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo
Meeting with Swiss embassy in Kosovo
In the autumn of 2024, we met Embassy Jürg Sprecher in Prishtina, Mayor Ardian Gjini in Gjakova, and Mayor Erden Atiq in North Mitrovica with our team. Together with DVM Labinot Osmani, we planted the first tree in the new Mitrovica courtyard.
ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS IN KOSOVO
All legislation can be found online here. Unfortunately, there is hardly anything to be found about pet husbandry except a general clause.
Important decrees that have been in force since the beginning of 2023:
- Law on Animal Welfare
- Regulation on Technical Conditions met by Temporary Care Centers for Stray Animals (this regulation was drafted by the US Embassy in collaboration with us and was replaced by the Animal Shelter Act)
- Administrative Instruction on Identification and Registration of Pet Animals
WE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST KEEPING DOGS IN SHELTERS IN KOSOVO - WHY?
In 2022, an advisory group sent by the EU — consisting of members from Romania, Greece, Croatia and the UK — worked with local NGOs on a new animal shelter regulation. This provided that healthy dogs could be killed after 30 days.
Given the tens of thousands of stray dogs, this regulation is far too short-term and will necessarily result in mass euthanasia or overcrowded, poorly maintained shelters. Kosovo also lacks trained animal keepers to ensure species-appropriate care.
Together with our partner organizations, we have already decisively opposed this regulation in an initial consultation — and we are staying tuned! We fight for the life and freedom of healthy dogs.
It is particularly worrying that the advisory group did not include a single country that does not itself have problems with street dogs or regularly euthanizes healthy dogs. All statements can be viewed by the organization.
Protests in Pristina against the care of well-socialized, healthy dogs in animal shelters
KNOW-HOW PLACEMENT
If we want to change Kosovo and do something for ALL dogs, and therefore for the people, we must impart know-how and be politically active. After influencing dog legislation in the country since December 2016, we now invited (at private expense) the head of the office Dr. Valdet Gjinovci, Food & Veterinary Agency Kosovo, to learn about Swiss legislation and its practical application.
We would like to thank the Zurich Veterinary Office, the Zurich City Police, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, and IDENTITAS for the welcome and excellent presentation of a functioning system of dog keeping and monitoring of dog owners in September 2017! Last but not least, we visited mountain farmers here, as Switzerland handed over brown cattle to Kosovo, which is why we also want to do good for our cows there!
The former CEO of Food & Veterinary Agency Kosovo However, did not use and share the transfer of knowledge.
CURRENT STATE OF LEGISLATION IN KOSOVO
- December 2022: Almost all veterinarians in Kosovo are now commissioned to chip their clients' dogs in order to enable dog owner control.
- spring 2022: The Food & Veterinary Agency, together with an EU advisory group and the Kosovo Animal Rights Foundation, is proposing an article of killing healthy dogs in the planned animal shelter law - we are responding!
- March 2021: The Ministry of Agriculture issues a new regulation according to which dogs must be chipped and their owners registered. The Veterinary Office is not prepared for this task. Registration of dog owners will also not be introduced nationwide at the end of 2022.
- From April 2019: New penal standard - Mistreatment of animals should be punished in future.
- December 27, 2017: Parliament decides to spend 1.3 million euros on the treatment of street dogs in Kosovo over the next three years.
- October 13, 2017: Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj declares the treatment of stray dogs an urgent state matter and issues a resolution to treat, castrate, vaccinate, deworm and mark ALL stray dogs in Kosovo.
- September 2017: Dr. Valdet Gjinovci visits the FSVO in Switzerland and the Zurich Veterinary Office to study the registration methods for dogs, dog owners and breeders.
- May 2017: The 4th reading of the new ordinance for the purpose of the nationwide treatment and castration of street dogs has been passed! The Ministry of Finance of the country of Kosovo is providing 1.1 million euros over the next three years for castration and vaccination of street dogs! In addition to the US embassy, our foundation has contributed significantly to this regulation.
- March 9, 2017: The President of StrayCoCo, Dr. Helen Wormser, and the ethologist and vet Michele Minunno from Bari, Italy, are invited by Oda e Veterinarisë to speak to the assembled veterinarians from Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia about CNVR and treatment of street dogs at the University of Pristina.
- March 2017: The consultation process is halted and the proposed regulation is withdrawn.
- February 2017: A second draft from the “Food & Veterinary Agency” - the Veterinary Office of Kosovo - is being sent out with a five-day consultation period, once again providing for the construction of animal shelters and the killing of street dogs - release is only possible if the competent authority agrees. We're protesting.
- December 23, 2016: The united assembly of all mayors of Kosovo addresses the issue of street dogs. Thanks to support from the veterinary association, they are positive about the CNVR program, provided that it can be financed.
- December 2016: The “Veterinary Chamber of Kosovo” (Oda e Veterinarisë) supports our legislative proposals.
- novembre 2016: Influential American dog lovers oppose the planned legislation that would lead to killing stations and start talks with Director Dr. Valdet Gjinovci of the Food & Veterinary Agency (FVA). A “Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)” is presented and proved to the FVA that their legislative project would cost the government far more than the variant of managing street dogs in Kosovo presented by our foundation.
- October 2016: Design of a CNVR concept/training/registration of dog owners and breeders by StrayCoCo.
VETERINARY SOCIETY KOSOVO
At the beginning of December 2017, the veterinarians in Kosovo recognized our work and spoke out against the systematic killing of dogs. They now take responsibility for controlling the stray dog population and deny politicians any authority to decide.
On the other hand, the members of this society have proven within the framework of the state CNVR that they cannot carry out the small animal procedure - the state program can be considered a failure thanks to poor veterinary training. Nepotism governs decisions!
Nevertheless, in 2017, the StrayCoCo Veterinary Association called for a presentation on the castration procedure of street dogs. Then, a joint seminar took place at the end of October 2019.
Under the new management, the veterinary company invites you to a practical course at our small animal clinic in Gjakova. In autumn 2019, 12 mostly elderly veterinarians will have their ovariectomy explained to them by our partner DVM Blendi Bejdoni.
Ovariectomy is superior to hysterectomy, as street dogs can be released after a few days. The healing time is short thanks to the small-cut technique and the use of hooks.
Political work is not complete without petitions. With over 120,000 signatures, we have succeeded in drawing the world public's attention to the brutal killing methods used by the Kosovars!
Donate for animals and Europe's poorhouse: help Kosovo.
