Massacre in FOUR PAWS clinic in Bucharest

Massacre in FOUR PAWS clinic in Bucharest

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City hall dog catchers illegally enter FOUR PAWS veterinary clinic and abuse dogs

Last Friday, 21 March 2014, several dog catchers of the local authority for stray dogs management ASPA abused and illegally took 18 dogs treated by the international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS. They broke the lock of the entrance, took the dogs and vandalized the post-operation paddocks of FOUR PAWS veterinary clinic in 6th District of Bucharest. FOUR PAWS sharply condemns the illegal and cruel action ordered by the City Hall of Bucharest and perpetrated by the ASPA.

The dogs under treatment were captured by the city hall catchers applying extremely brutal methods (see video) and were taken to the public shelter of Bragadiru near Bucharest. The abusive action was directed not only against the FOUR PAWS paddocks but also against the shelter in which the clinic is situated. Around 75 dogs were brutally taken out from there by the catchers. According to several eye witnesses, at least four dogs died on the spot because of the brutal handling. The public shelter’s administration refuses to give back the dogs, breaking several articles of the new law of stray dogs management. “The lethal action of ASPA has no meaning“, explains Gabriel Paun, Director of Campaigns at FOUR PAWS. „These dogs were rescued by us from terrible conditions and our teams brought them back to life. They were to be adopted. The dog catchers killed some, they injured others. We’ll do our best to rescue again those who survived the massacre and we hope to find loving families for them”.

FOUR PAWS has a legal contract ongoing with the 6th District City Hall for a stray dogs neutering project and for the use of the veterinary clinic which is property of the City Hall. Since last Friday, ASPA representatives forbid FOUR PAWS members the access to the facility.The Protocol for stray dogs neutering signed with the 6th District city hall is still valid until April 2014, and FOUR PAWS has not received any evacuation ordinance up to this date. The way the City Hall of 6th District broke the Protocol is completely unexplainable, giving the fact that FOUR PAWS invested money from donations, a lot of efforts and time in this project, which was requested by the City Hall. FOUR PAWS so far has neutered over 3.000 dogs in the 6th District. „Breaking the locks and vandalizing the paddocks of FOUR PAWS by the city hall catchers is an illegal action“, stresses Gabriel Paun. „We filed complaint to the police and we will open a legal action against ASPA. The main accusations: killing and cruelty against anim als, theft, sequestration of private goods and vandalism.“

All these abuses were carried out in the presence of the Local Police of 6th District. Instead of intervening for the law enforcement, the local policemen obstructed the access of FOUR PAWS representatives into the paddock.

In October 2013 a stray dog killing law came into force following a tragic incident in which a little boy was fatally injured by stray dogs a month earlier. The methodology to be applied to the killing came to light at Christmas time and the killing started soon after. In recent weeks many animal welfare NGOs and citizens reported cases of abuse and law breaking by the local authorities. On 10 March FOUR PAWS has submitted legal steps at the Court of Appeal in Bucharest for the Romanian Government to freeze the killing of stray dogs. „The situation is obviously out of control. It is time for the prime minister to take the lead and stop the killing law and the abuse. He is the only one with the power to do so”, says Gabriel Paun.