Walfangkommissionstagung in Santiago de Chile:

 

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: WDCSDeutschland [mailto:julia.neider@wdcs.org]
Gesendet: Montag, 23. Juni 2008 12:01
An: info@MariolasZuhause.de
Betreff: Start der Internationalen Walfangkommission

 

Liebe Wal- und DelfinfreundInnen, Heute, Montag, 23. Juni 2008 beginnt in Santiago de Chile die 60. Jahrestagung der Internationalen Walfang-kommission (IWC). Die Stimmung hier in Chile ist ... seltsam. Alles dreht sich darum, einen „Kompromiss-vorschlag“ zwischen Walschutz- und Walfangstaaten zu erzielen (wir berichten darüber in unserem aktuellen WDCS Magazin ausführlich). Der wesentliche Bestandteil dieses sogenannten Kompromisses ist die Einführung einer neuen Walfangkategorie: „Küstenwalfang“, der als „nicht kommerziell“ betrachtet werden soll, so die Ansicht einiger Staaten. Dies ist irreführend und fatal zu gleich. Bei dem Vor-schlag handelt es sich um vier japanischen Gemeinden, die Waljagd im Nordwestpazifik aus kommerziellem Interesse heraus durchführen. Zwei der Gemeinden haben überhaupt keine Tradition im Fang von Zwerg-walen. Diese neue Kategorie soll – geht es nach vielen Mitgliedsstaaten der IWC – verhindern, dass das kommerzielle Walfangverbot aufgehoben wird. Schein-heiliger geht es gar nicht mehr. Japan machte klar, dass der Vorschlag den Handel mit Walfleisch nicht aus-schließt. Konkrete Zugeständnisse Japans gibt es keine. Es gibt auch keine Zugeständnisse Norwegens und Islands. Im Gegenteil. Beide Staaten exportierten soeben 65 Tonnen Walfleisch nach Japan. Ob Japan das Fleisch beschlagnahmt steht noch nicht fest. Gleichzeitig erleben wir eine Kommerzialisierung und Aushöhlung des Walfangs durch Indigene Völker, insbesondere in Grönland (siehe dazu auch Grönlands Walfang außer Kontrolle). Aus den Gesprächen hier vor Ort und einigen Nachforschungen wurde klar: ·         Walfleisch wird in Grönland nicht nur von und in Indigenen Gemeinden konsumiert sondern im gesamten Land auch kommerziell über Supermarktketten vertrieben. ·         zwischen 3000 und 4000 Kleinwale (dazu zählen auch etwa 6 Meter lange Grindwale und bis zu 8 Meter lange Orcas) werden jährlich getötet und deren Fleisch nicht in die Bemessung des Nahrungsbedarfs einbezogen. ·         Kontrolle gibt es keine. Und trotz der Tatsache, dass Grönland in den vergangenen Jahren NIE die Gesamtmenge an zu fangenden Großwalen getötet hat, möchte die dänische Regierung den Grönländern noch zusätzlich die Tötung von 10 Buckelwalen jährlich genehmigen. Darüber wird in den kommenden 5 Tagen entschieden. Das Team der WDCS wird alles daran setzen, um dies zu verhindern. Ich halte Sie über die Entwicklungen vor Ort in meinem Internet-Tagebuch auf dem Laufenden. www.walfang.org Gruß aus Santiago de Chile Ihr Nicolas Entrup Falls Sie in Zukunft keine Newsletter mehr erhalten möchten, schreiben Sie bitte an kontakt@wdcs.org

 

 

 

Hier finden Sie:

Das EU-Abkommen für den Tierschutz

Das rumänische Tierschutzgesetz

Gesetze zum Artenschutz

Das türkische Tierschutzgesetz

und zuerst eine Abhandlung über die Lösung des Streunerproblems in Rumänien

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HOW TO SOLVE ROMANIA’S STREET DOG PROBLEM

- EFFECTIVELY, HUMANELY AND FOR EVER.

 

By Robert Smith 

Contents:

 

1. Introduction. Why spend money on dogs ?

2. Stray dog statistics.

3. Rabies 

4. Solutions - ‘Neuter and Return’

5. Policies which fail: (a) Killing (b) Incarceration

6. F.P.C.C’s work so far

7. School Education Project

8. F.P.C.C.’s methods

9. Projections for Neuter & Return in a typical municipality with 

   60-80,000 people and 4000 stray dogs

10. Municipal ‘complaints fatigue’

11. The only answer: a Private Enterprise-Public Sector Project

12. Dog Population Management Board

13. Local neutering clinics - at least one per municipality

14. Public Relations and networks of volunteers

15. How much will the project cost ?Answer: US$ 0.17 per resident per year for 3 years.

16. Commercial sponsorship

17. Future use of clinics and future dog control

18. Licensing of dog breeders

19. Pitfalls.

20. Lobbying

21. Conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Introduction.

 

Street dogs cause road accidents and nuisance, wake residents at night, disturb rubbish, frighten children and cause complaints to municipalities. The sight of hungry, sick dogs foraging desperately for food, or of their dead bodies squashed on Romania’s roads, is distressing to visitors and residents alike and tarnishes Romania’s image as an applicant to the European Union. Most of these miserable strays are potentially loyal, affectionate companions, pets and guard dogs. The problem is worse in Romania than in many other countries because of the policies of the previous communist regime and because many Romanians are animal lovers and deliberately feed street dogs. The proliferation of rubbish also supports the stray dog population.

 

FPCC’s purpose is to persuade central government and local authorities to solve Romania’s stray dog problem effectively, humanely and permanently.

 

“Each habitat has a specific carrying capacity for each species. This specific carrying capacity depends on the availability….of resources (shelter, food, water). The density of a population of higher vertebrates (including dogs) is almost always near the carrying capacity of the environment. Any reduction in population density through mortality is rapidly compensated by better reproduction and survival.  In other words when dogs are removed, the survivors’ life expectancy increases because they have better access to the resources, and there is less competition for resources”. – World Health Organisation Guidelines for Dog Population Management, Geneva 1990, page 9.

2. Stray Dog Statistics

By “stray dog” we mean not only feral dogs, which stay at a safe distance from human beings, but free-roaming dogs or inadequately supervised dogs, which are occasionally or regularly fed by human beings, who may or may not consider themselves the dog’s owner. In other words all dogs except those few which are both fully dependent and always prevented from copulating.

We have no accurate figures for the unsupervised dog population of Romania. However FPCC has in two and a half years from mid-2001 to end 2003 collected, neutered and vaccinated over 4500 dogs in and around Campina, an area with a human population of about 70,000. This suggests that the carrying capacity of Campina and suburbs is about 4000 dogs including owned but largely unsupervised dogs, a density of 1 dog per 17.5 people. This suggests that there are no more than 1.5 million unsupervised dogs in the whole of Romania. The density of dogs in Campina is higher than in many other towns because of dog dumping, so a figure of 1 unsupervised dog per 15 people is probably a more accurate overall estimate (this excludes puppies which die before breeding age).

This suggests that the carrying capacity of Bucharest is between 100,000 and 150,000 dogs. Stray or unsupervised dog populations grow and decline in direct proportion to the human population. FPCC’s sister organisation in Istanbul, SHKD, has witnessed this in the new suburbs springing up all around Turkey’s commercial capital, one of the biggest and fastest growing cities in the world.

Numbers in urban areas of Romania are temporarily reduced by sporadic extermination campaigns such as those instigated by the mayor of Bucharest. When Pitesti city hall stopped killing dogs in April 2001 and brought its stray dogs to a former fox fur farm converted by Mrs Aurora Brizzi and Mrs Ute Langenkamp into an animal shelter, the dog population in the shelter quickly grew to a massive and barely manageable 3000 dogs by 2001. Pitesti has a population of about 200,000 people and there are still over 4000 dogs on the city streets, many of them now neutered and vaccinated by AULIM, Mrs Langenkamp’s charity. In addition to the 3000 dogs in AULIMs shelter and the 4000 or so on the city streets, AULIM has rehomed thousands of dogs, mainly abroad, in the last 3 years. We estimate that the carrying capacity of Pitesti is between 6,000 and 12,000 dogs.

The stray dog population of every Romanian town and village depends solely on the carrying capacity of the area which in turn in a climate with plentiful water depends solely on the food (and in winter shelter) available. The food on which stray and unsupervised dogs survive consists of edible rubbish and handouts by animal lovers. The rubbish and handouts are in direct proportion to the human population. Stray dogs cannot survive independently of human beings.

Semi-stray or unsupervised dogs, those ‘owned’ by residents but always or sometimes allowed to stray at will, and therefore to breed, must also be taken into the equation (and of course be neutered and vaccinated). In Campina we estimate that 90% of the dogs with owners or feeders are allowed to wander and if not neutered, to breed.

Virtually every stray dog in Campina was known to us until we stopped our neutering campaign in February 2002 due to the intervention of dog catchers from the Bucov shelter near Ploiesti.

It is likely that the dog population is 55-60% male and only 40-45% female because of the human preference for males as guard dogs, because male dogs tend to be better foragers and because female dogs die younger due to repeated pregnancies. 

3. Rabies  

“Since dog elimination in general is very cost-intensive and lacks any positive impact on the occurrence of rabies it is not recommended.” – Report of W.H.O. Consultation on Dog Ecology Studies related to Rabies Control, Geneva, 22-25 February 1988 (page 11).

Although FPCC has never had a single case of rabies since its inception in 2000 rabies is a danger because it is endemic in the wild mammal population, especially foxes. The threat of rabies is a persuasive reason for the Romanian Government and the European Union to find the political will to get to grips with the stray dog problem once and for all, before Romania’s borders with the EU disappear in 2007.

4. Solutions

There are only 3 ways to solve stray dog problems. (1) To kill or remove every single fertile bitch. (2) To remove the food source, i.e. somehow prevent animal lovers feeding unsupervised dogs and remove all rubbish from the streets so that the dogs starve to death. Or (3) 

‘Neuter and Return’.

“In the long term, control of reproduction is by far the most effective strategy of dog population management” – W.H.O., Geneva, Guidelines for Dog Population Management, page 72.

Extermination campaigns, for example the indiscriminate poisoning or shooting of dogs at night irrespective of whether they are neutered and vaccinated or indeed pets with owners, have never succeeded anywhere in the world.

‘Neuter and Return’, the policy advocated by the World Health Organisation and the World Society for the Protection of Animals, solves the problem permanently, although dogs have to be tolerated on the streets for 5-8 years for it to succeed. Providing it is implemented to the edge of the urban area it is however a permanent and humane solution which politicians can be proud of.

‘Neuter and Return’ must be implemented in conjunction with education campaigns to explain the importance of neutering, of vaccination and of preventing dogs from reproducing.

Romania needs to invest money and effort now to solve the problem for ever.

Stray dog populations anywhere depend solely on the amount of food available. Nature adjusts the population to the carrying capacity of the territory. If just one fertile female escapes being killed or captured she can breed up to 67,000 offspring in 6 years.* That is why killing dogs can never succeed unless every single female is exterminated.

If however the carrying capacity of an area is filled with sterile animals the population will gradually die out, providing no fertile dogs can infiltrate from surrounding areas and providing freshly abandoned dogs are collected by dog wardens, police and residents (as in developed countries).

 * source: Doris Day Animal League, U.S.A.

5. Policies doomed to fail: Killing and Incarceration.

“Removal and killing of dogs should never be considered as the most effective way of dealing with a problem of surplus dogs in the community: it has no effect whatsoever on the root cause of the problem.” – Guidelines for Dog Population Management, W.H.O. Geneva 1990 (page 74).

“In none of the study areas did the elimination of dogs by any method have any significant long term effect on dog population size.” –Report of W.H.O. Consultation on Dog Ecology Studies related to Rabies Control, Geneva, 22-25 February 1988 (page 11).

(a) Killing.

This is usually done surreptitiously at night by municipal workers or by private contractors to municipalities who then return to collect dead bodies. No notice is given to local residents of poisoning so dog owners are unable to protect their pets from it. In Gorj province various mayors have resorted to asking hunters to shoot dogs and even to throwing them down wells to drown. Pitesti’s municipal dog catchers have killed dogs in the woods with makehift spears. This barbaric behaviour is of course illegal, but some mayors seem to have little respect for the law. The penalties for cruelty to animals are in any case derisory. 

Officials and municipal vets are reluctant to admit knowing anything about these extermination campaigns. One municipal vet in Sadu (Gorj province) was however dismissed recently for carrying out a poisoning campaign. [The poisoning or extermination of dogs by any means other than humane euthanasia is now illegal in Romania].   

In any case although poisoning reduces the stray dog population in the short term it can never be carried out intensively and persistently enough to eradicate stray dogs. That is why dogs are prospering in Romania as a species despite the wholesale slaughter carried out by local authorities for many years.

If killing worked the stray dog populations of Romania’s towns would have been eliminated long ago.

If each fertile bitch has 8 live puppies twice a year 71% of all fertile females, most of which will have ‘owners’, must be killed twice a year before the dog population starts to diminish slowly. If as many as 76% of all fertile females could be caught and killed every 6 months the stray dog population in a town like Campina would be reduced from 4000 dogs to 2668 dogs after 7 years  (again assuming each bitch has 8 live puppies twice a year).

This compares to a stray dog population of only 52 after 7 years if Neuter and Return is implemented.

Whereas ‘neuter and return’ can be carried out 24 hours per day every day of the week openly and with the cooperation of animal lovers and ‘owners’, catching and/or killing has to be carried out secretly and occasionally because of the likelihood of protests and disruption. If animal lovers and owners of semi-strays know dog catching or extermination squads are coming to their area they will do their best to protect the dogs they look after. In Campina Bucov’s dog catchers have to be protected by Gendarmes because of opposition by residents and dog feeders.

‘Catch and Kill’ would have to be carried out persistently in every area of every municipality for six years once a week, without disruption from ‘animal protectors’, to kill 76% of the dogs every breeding season, and it would still take 7years of consistent killing to reduce the dog population to 67% of the carrying capacity !

DOG POPULATION REDUCTION IF 76% KILLED EVERY 6 MONTHS.

- assuming half of the killing is done before dogs give birth and half afterwards

# assuming 12.5% of adult females dies naturally and 38% of balance is killed before giving birth in first 6 months, thereafter no natural deaths because almost all survivors will be young 

* assuming 50% puppies die of illness before 38% of balance is killed

Date   Total   Surviving Fertile   Surv. Puppies*             Killed adults

                         Females#        after 38% killed      before  /   after breeding

                     after 38% killed       Male Female          M       F         M          F

31.12.05  4000 (100% of carrying capacity)   

                                 1085                  1345        1345           665      665        665         665

30.6.06    3530      

                                 1063                  1318        1318           651     651        651         651

31.12.06  3462   

                                 1041                  1290        1290           638     638        638         638

30.6.07    3387    

                                 1019                   1264        1264          624     624        624         624

31.12.07  3318         

                                   998                   1238        1238          612     612        612         612

30.6.08    3247

                                   976                   1210        1210          598     598        598         598

31.2.08    3178

                                   956                   1185       1185           586     586        586        586                                          

30.6.09    3109    

                                   935                   1159        1159           573    573        573        573

31.12.09  3042  

                                   915                   1135        1135           561    561        561        561

30.6.10    2978   

                                   896                   1111        1111            549     549       549       549

31.12.10  2916

                                   877                   1087        1087            538      538      538        538

30.6.11    2851   

                                   858                   1063        1063            526      526       526       526

31.12.11  2788

                                   838                   1039        1039            514       514       514       514

30.6.12    2727

                                   820                   1017        1017            503      503        503       503

31.12.12  2668  (66.7% of carrying capacity)

The problem for the exterminators is that the dogs can breed so fast - according to the Doris Day Animal League one female dog and her offspring can produce 67000 puppies in 6 years ! - that all they achieve is a temporary reduction in the dog population. Every surviving bitch breeds. And no dogs are vaccinated against rabies. With ‘neuter and return’ most of the bitches wandering the streets don’t breed.

As most Romanian fertile bitches have owners or feeders it is impossible to achieve a 76% extermination or removal rate.  

(b) ‘Catch and Incarcerate’

This summarises the policy adopted in February 2004 by the Municipality of Campina, who lost patience with FPCC because of the high number of dogs on Campina’s streets and who could not understand that these neutered and vaccinated dogs must be left in place in order to prevent new fertile dogs infiltrating.

Campina asked the shelter in Bucov, near Ploiesti, which is subsidised by Tierschutzverein Munich, to catch and remove the dogs FPCC had neutered and returned, although all these dogs had been adopted by residents according to the new Animal Protection Law. We believe the Bucov dog catchers removed about 300 dogs, three of which were inadvertently killed with tranquillising darts.

By removing and imprisoning animals in camps municipalities are simply creating empty feeding territories which nature will soon fill with new fertile dogs. So ‘Catch and Incarcerate’ makes the problem worse, not better (see below).

In Romania, due to poverty and the abundance of community dogs, there is little or no hope of rehoming these captured dogs. They must either be kept and fed until their deaths in the shelter, which is a pointless and very expensive exercise, or put to sleep according to the law. Due to lack of funds, or due to corruption if funds are available, the dogs in such shelters often starve to death.

Why does Catch and Incarcerate make the problem worse ?

Because nature ensures that every dog taken off the streets is replaced by a new dog. Puppies, or dogs dumped from Bucharest or other cities with extermination policies, which would have found so little food that they would have died of illness or starvation if territories were still occupied by their original owners, can now occupy those feeding territories, survive and breed. So unless every single female in a municipality and all areas within 7 km.* of that municipality is caught, which is highly unlikely, the stray dog problem will continue and the municipality will end up with thousands of dogs incarcerated at huge expense in its shelter plus the original number of dogs on the streets !    

[* Studies by Help in Suffering in Jaipur India show that dogs will travel up to 7 km. in search of food.]

Pitesti and more recently Campina are proof of the futility of dog removal campaigns.

In the case of Campina the 300 neutered dogs removed by Bucov have now been replaced by 300 fertile dogs, dumped in Campina from Bucharest and surrounding villages, or which have infiltrated from outside the town. Although some of these immigrants are dogs neutered by FPCC the dumped dogs are all fertile.

Bucov and the Town Hall are therefore undoing all the good work of FPCC over the last 3 years and are unwittingly ensuring that the stray dog problem in Campina will continue for decades to come. FPCC cannot afford to continue catching, neutering and returning Campina’s street dogs, only for these dogs to be removed, put to sleep or starved to death by Bucov.  

When Campina municipality realises that Bucov’s dog catchers are achieving nothing, we hope we will be permitted to restart ‘Neuter and Return’ in Campina.

6. FPCC’s work so far.

FPCC, which depends solely on donations from the public, and which is principally financed by its Founder and Chairman, Robert Smith, built an open plan shelter on land ceded by the Municipality near the Doftanei river on the edge of Campina in 2001. Dr Radu Milea carried out all operations and sterilisations during the first two years and subsequently trained our current veterinary team. Over 4500 stray, semi-stray and owned dogs were collected, neutered and vaccinated in Campina, Cornu and surrounding villages in the two and a half years up to February 2004. We made no charge for this service to owners or to the municipality (although we did charge the municipality when it was necessary to euthanise sick, injured or dangerous dogs and incinerate their bodies according to environmental regulations).

Over 100 Campina dogs have been happily rehomed in Holland by PAWS, who have also generously supported FPCC with materials and other donations.

In April 2003 FPCC’s new shelter and neutering centre in Oradea, sponsored by Battersea Dogs Home, Dogs Trust and North Shore Animal League, began work, in a purpose built shelter on land leased by the Municipality. A local charity, the Arca lui Noe association, run by Mrs Gigi Bulz and her family, and supported by Narcis Fekete and his wife Diana, pioneered the cause of animal welfare in Oradea and did most of the groundwork for the project. The mayor, Mr Petre Filip, understood the logic and effectiveness of ‘Neuter and Return’ as opposed to previous policies of sporadic dog extermination, and enthusiastically supported this joint project.

From May 2003 to April 2005 our ‘SOS Dogs Oradea’ project has neutered and vaccinated 2250 dogs, without charge to the owners or municipality, and has rehomed over 500 of these dogs to families. Although most of the other dogs have been returned to their local communities, we still have over 100 friendly dogs waiting to be adopted and advertisements with their photos regularly appear in the local press.

We are very grateful to Battersea Dogs Home, Dogs Trust and North Shore for their support of this project and hope it will become only one of many successful Neuter and Return projects financed by Western charities in Eastern Europe.

FPCC’s third project is in Mioveni, a small town of 37000 people outside Pitesti, infamous for the extermination of dogs by the management of the Renault-Dacia factory two years ago. Carmen Arsene, the supervisor of AULIM’s shelter in Smeura near Pitesti, asked us to help AULIM negotiate a Neuter and Return contract with the mayor of Pitesti and to carry out a similar Neuter and Return campaign in Mioveni. Contracts with both Pitesti and Mioveni were signed early in 2004 and both projects are underway. FPCC has bought land near Mioveni’s municipal rubbish dump where a permanent neutering centre can be built if funding can be found. Up to April 2005 FPCC’s temporary Mioveni clinic has neutered and vaccinated 1030 dogs in 12 months, over 500 of which have been rehomed.

In Pitesti since January 2003 AULIM has collected 4050 dogs incl. 1800 puppies. All of these have been neutered and many have been returned to their owners and/or territory and/or adopted, including 650 adults and 800 puppies rehomed abroad.

Because of the expense of maintaining shelters, and their ‘magnetism’ for dogs and puppies – i.e. people’s and municipalities’ tendency to dump dogs on shelters – the most cost-effective method of stray dog control is neutering by Mobile Clinics. FPCC bought its first mobile clinic in August 2004, generously sponsored by the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust. The generator was donated by Mrs Christa Becker of Aktionsgemeinschaft fuer Tiere Langenfeld/Monheim in Germany.

Vier Pfoten, an Austrian charity which has long been advocating ‘Neuter and Return’ in Romania and Bulgaria, pioneered the use of mobile clinics in Romania and conducted a joint neutering programme with us in Negru Voda in autumn 2003. Vier Pfoten’s expert vet, Adriana, neutered 253 dogs in 10 days and trained our vets in her highly efficient surgical techniques.

FPCC’s mobile clinic revisited Negru Voda in September 2004 and neutered, vaccinated and returned 93 more dogs (61 females and 32 males).

FPCC’s mobile clinic then visited Tirgu Carbunesti in Gorj, where Mrs Carmena Serbaniou arranged the project in cooperation with the town’s mayor, Mr Pasti. Previously the municipality had tried and failed to control the town’s dog population with the usual futile, and now illegal, extermination methods. During the last two weeks of September we neutered and returned 212 dogs (148 females and 64 males). A local animal lover, Mrs Ficiu, is monitoring the dog population of Carbunesti and will deal with complaints about stray dogs. We returned to Carbunesti in March 2005 and neutered 125 more dogs.

Our mobile clinic has also visited Magureni, Floresti, Campulung, Banesti and Ticleni and will neuter in many other towns in the near future, after contracts have been signed with the municipality. It is important that municipalities make written commitments not to kill, mistreat or remove neutered dogs so that mobile clinic campaigns are not sabotaged in the way FPCC’s work in Campina has been [for sample contract please see annex].

7. School education project.

FPCC, with the help of Dogs Trust and Mr Ray Griffin, a British education expert, have developed a School Education Project, targeted at 10-13 year olds, which is carried out in as many schools as possible in towns where we work. The purpose of this education project is to motivate children to care about animal welfare, help us find fertile and sick dogs in their locality and to teach children to understand the importance of neutering, responsible dog ownership and rehoming. We hope to educate the adult population through their children and to educate the politicians via their parents. The education project is led by Antonia Craciun. In Oradea a similar project has been launched by Battersea Dogs Home and Dogs Trust, led by Mrs Paula Pop.

We are often asked why there are no stray dogs on the streets of London or Paris whereas there are so many on the streets of Bucharest and Ploiesti, despite these Romanian cities’ catch and kill policies. The answer is not only economic development, it is the education of the British and French populations to care about animals and the promotion of neutering and responsible dog ownership. The problem in Romania is not the dogs; it is the people who allow their dogs to stray and breed and the politicians who lack the political will, the understanding and of course the funding to solve the problem.

A further factor is that in Romania very few people allow their pet dogs to live inside their house, as most families in Western Europe do. When a family bitch in W. Europe is on heat, it is kept inside the home, and when taken for its daily walk, is kept on a leash. In Romania most dogs are kept in yards or gardens, therefore most Romanian dogs are accessible for copulation.

In Western Europe most citizens who find a dog roaming free will collect the dog and if they cannot identify the owner from the disc on the dog’s collar, will take the dog to their local shelter, animal warden or to the police. This is virtually unthinkable in Romania. The human population of Romania, as with most economically underdeveloped countries, must be educated to accept responsibility for stray dogs and for their environment in general.

Another misconception, usually by male dog owners, is that their dogs should be allowed to enjoy sex; dogs do not enjoy sex, indeed it is a quite painful and purely instinctive activity. It also spreads vaginal and genital tumours. Sex is not fun for dogs!

If every shop or restaurant owner, every factory boss, every petrol station attendant, every caretaker of apartment blocks, hospitals, schools etc. in Romania took their local stray bitches to the vet and paid for them to be neutered that would solve the stray dog problem within 5 years. Animal welfare groups such as FPCC cannot improve the living standards of Romania but we can contribute to educating the next generation of Romanian dog keepers.      

We would be delighted to hear from any schools interested in this Education Project.

8. FPCC’s methods.

The best way of catching a dog remains the cheapest: gaining the dog’s trust, befriending it and picking it up. Ideally community dogs should be cared for by a local animal lover, who may feed them, and should then be collected by this animal lover and handed over for neutering and vaccination, then returned to the supervision of this ‘volunteer dog warden’ after recuperation.

If it is not possible to catch a dog in this way, a catching cage or catching pole with plastic covered thick lanyards can be used.

Only as a last resort should a blowpipe or tranquillising gun be used because these are (a) expensive (b) an overdose can kill the dog, as illustrated by Bucov’s dog catchers in Campina (c) the dog can run several hundred metres on an adrenalin surge before collapsing, so has to be chased on foot, and may run across a busy road or into woods and (d) in the case of a gun the loud bang will frighten every living creature within several hundred metres.

As dogs sense fear or hostility in human beings it is very difficult for municipal workers, who are not normally animal lovers, to catch dogs without resorting to inhumane and expensive methods. It is far easier and cheaper for animal lovers to catch dogs. Unfortunately most municipal catchers use inhumane and/or expensive methods to catch every single dog they take, in contravention of the new Dog Law No. 155.

Dogs returned by FPCC to their communities are fitted with a non-removable collar or earclip and an unique number is tattooed into one ear under anaesthetic. A record is kept of every dog, including the place and date of release.

9.    Projections for ‘Neuter and Release’.

                                NEUTER AND RELEASE PLAN

FOR A TYPICAL MUNICIPALITY WITH

4000 STRAY DOGS (human population 60-80000).

Assumptions:

1. That the average life of a street dog which survives to breeding age is between 3.5  and 4 years.

2. That the male:female population at birth and the death rate are 50:50.

3. That a well trained vet team can neuter 9 females and 1 or 2 males per day.

4. That recuperation facilities are available for 50 dogs per clinic.

5. That all females have two litters per annum with 8 live births per litter.

6. That 50% of live puppies dies before they can breed.

7. That only the same number of surviving puppies will live until breeding age as older dogs which die during the same period for as long as the carrying capacity of the area is full; and that the others die of hunger, weakness etc.

8. That clinics practise early age neutering from age 3 months upwards if necessary on litters of surviving puppies, rather than releasing puppies un-neutered.

9. That the female dogs which die naturally (250 per half year for the first 5 years of the project) do not breed in the half year of their deaths, or if they do, that none of their puppies survives.

10. That each clinic employs two dog catching/release teams at night and one team during the day 6 days per week.

11. That dog owners who allow their dogs to stray, or who abandon them, will bring them to the clinic for free neutering and vaccination and will therefore not distort the diminishing reproduction rate, or alternatively, that all of such abandoned dogs can be picked up.

12. That priority is given to neutering females before males. The neutering of males has limited short term impact on the population.

13. That all surrounding municipalities follow the same policy to the edge of the conurbation.

14. That 60% of females are caught and neutered in the first 6 months. That 80% of the remaining fertile females are caught and neutered in the next 6 months. And that 90% of remaining fertile females are done in the third and subsequent 6 month periods.

Results:

- Within 4 years the stray dog population is less than half the present level.

- Within 5 years the stray dog population is reduced to 26% of present levels.

- Within 6 years the stray dog population is virtually eliminated.

If more females than 645 can be caught in the second 6 month period - for example 725 females (90% of the remaining fertile females incl. new puppies) - the process will be speeded up.

If the average life span of the female street dogs is 2.5 to 3 years rather than the 3.5 to 4 years projected the stray dog population will almost die out within 4 years.  

Life-span of street dogs:

This is in practice probably varies, for dogs which survive to breeding age, between 1 year and 8 years. Except for animals fed regularly nutritious food by humans, i.e. semi-stray dogs, it is very unlikely that a street dog will survive beyond 8 years, and relatively few will survive beyond 5 years in the severe winters of Romania.

SHKD’s records over 6 years of neutering in Istanbul show that 49.5% of dogs caught were between 3 months and 1 year old. W.H.O. studies in Ecuador, Tunisia and Sri Lanka showed that the stray dog population was 28% under one year old, 17% 1-2 years, 14% 2-3 years, 11% 3-4 years, 8% 4-5 years, 7% 5-6 years and 15% above 6 years old. Life expectancy of free roaming dogs in Zimbabwe was estimated in 1987 at 4.6 years. These countries all have climates more conducive to the survival of street dogs than that of Romania. 

The main source of healthy puppies on the streets is not feral dogs. Wild dogs, for example living on a rubbish dump, do not produce as many puppies well nourished enough to survive as dogs with owners do. Most new dogs on the streets are the offspring of dogs cared for by human beings – in other words Romanian street dog populations are the direct result of human ignorance and irresponsibility. 

Dumped and Abandoned dogs:

Dog dumping by both animal lovers and perhaps municipalities is the greatest single threat to the success of a properly funded and managed Neuter and Return project.

During the last 3 years FPCC has found newly dumped dogs, usually from Bucharest or surrounding villages, on the streets of Campina virtually every week. This is partly the result of animal lovers bringing friendly community dogs to the ‘safe haven’ of Campina to escape Bucharest’s dog exterminators and partly the result of dog owners dumping unwanted animals and puppies for convenience. Many of the foreign adult dogs which suddenly appear on Campina’s streets are very friendly to humans, which means they are used to human contact and have been ‘rescued’ from the clutches of municipal dog catchers.

Oradea and Pitesti have also suffered from dog dumping in recent months. It is more likely that animal lovers will dump dogs in towns with humane dog control policies, as news of their shelters or clinics spreads. This unfortunately sabotages those humane projects.

As no town or village in Romania is an island and as there is no practical means to prevent the dumping of dogs, it is clear that Neuter and Return can only totally succeed in eliminating the street dog problem if it is adopted throughout Romania, which means its adoption and funding by central government and/or the EU.  

Abandoned pets will continue to be a problem long after Neuter and Return has finished, as indeed they are in Western Europe. However former pets will be easy to catch as they are used to and even seek human contact. People must be educated to collect them or report them to the Police or their local clinic and municipal dog wardens should bring them to the clinic. One hopes they can then be rehomed. Even bitches on heat when abandoned are likely to be caught by dog wardens or brought to clinics before giving birth.      

Dog owners who can or no longer wish to keep their dog should be educated by publicity to bring their dog to their local clinic rather than to throw it out onto the streets.

9. “Complaint Fatigue” by municipalities.

Complaints from the public to municipalities are the main reason for mayors embarking on misguided dog removal and extermination campaigns. Even humane mayors who are animal lovers can only tolerate a certain level of complaints and have to think of their own political survival.

Our experience is that most complaints about ‘dangerous dogs’ are the result of disputes between neighbours, especially around blocks of flats, and of children baiting dogs, which then snarl or bite back. Dogs won’t hang around an area unless food and shelter are available. At the mayor of Campina’s request we investigated a complaint from a hotel owner who said his customers were being frightened away by a pack of vicious dogs. It turned out that his own hotel manager was (without his knowledge) feeding two harmless and friendly dogs.

It is however necessary to remove genuinely dangerous dogs, and as a last resort put them to sleep; some dogs may be friendly towards animal lovers but be a threat to people whose fear they sense. Cases must be individually investigated and dealt with, preferably by Animal Welfare Associations rather than by municipal workers.  The problem of packs of dogs intimidating people can often be solved by removal of the pack leader or leaders.       

11. The only practical answer.

The only solution is private enterprise - public sector projects financed and empowered by central or local Government but implemented by a committed non-profit private organisation or organisations in every town and rural area of Romania.

Public bodies are always too cumbersome, bureaucratic and conservative to succeed in implementing ‘Neuter and Return’. Officials usually lack the motivation radically to change the status quo.

On the other hand private organisations like F.P.C.C., however efficiently run, lack the finance and the authority to implement ‘Neuter and Return’ except for a few pilot projects.

Such a project must be centrally financed either by the Government or by the EU. The recent Law no. 155, whilst well intended, has no chance of solving Romania’s stray dog problem because no municipality has the funding to carry out the law. There is no point in passing laws which noone can afford to implement ! Furthermore the law has unfortunately given municipalities like Campina the pretext to abandon Neuter and Return projects on the dubious grounds that the Law prohibits unsupervised dogs on the streets, though paragraph 17d of regulation no. 955 dated 15.6.04 goes some way to rectifying this error.

12. Dog Population Management Board.

An organisation must be established to run Romania’s Dog Population Management Project effectively and dynamically as private businesses are run. A Chief Executive, experienced in managing public service companies or projects, should be appointed. There must be no question of corruption or political nepotism, so an apolitical or foreign CEO should be considered. He or she should be answerable directly to a Board consisting of a representative of the relevant Ministries, representatives of Animal Protection Organisations and of the sponsors. Commercial sponsors could also appoint a member of the board.

The financial records should be audited by a firm of internationally respected accountants who appoint a full time Chief Accountant to eliminate any danger of corruption or financial waste.

The Dog Population Management Board should ensure that funds are distributed to municipalities to set up mobile or fixed neutering clinics in association with local animal protection organisations and that these funds are not wasted inefficiently or corruptly.  

Each municipality would have one or two neutering clinics supplying free of charge neutering and vaccination to all residents and stray dogs collected by residents. Each clinic must have recuperation facilities for 5 times the daily neutering capacity and quarantine facilities for 10 dogs. Incurable and dangerous dogs should be euthanased humanely as per Law No. 155.

A public liaison team should field calls and complaints from the public and publicise the project.

13. Local Neutering Clinics.

Every municipality, which does not already have a clinic, must be forced to make suitable land and/or a building available for a neutering clinic such as illustrated. Alternatively it could purchase a mobile clinic. The local municipality should provide water, electricity and if possible gas.

Each clinic would have a manager responsible for supervising personnel, record keeping and organising his dog catching/release teams. Each clinic would need 2 vans (sponsored by advertisers) with 3 dog catching teams. At night 2 dog catching teams would operate. During the day one dog catching team would operate. The other van would be used for supplies. Dog catching teams would work outwards from their clinic until their whole catchment area has been covered up to the edge of the conurbation.

‘Neuter and Return’ must be carried out like a military campaign, street by street, house by house, factory by factory.

Having covered the main urban area, which will normally take 1 to 2 years, the dog catching and collection teams would concentrate on surrounding villages. 

14. Publicising the Project and networks of local volunteers.

A budget should be allocated for advertising for local volunteers and to publicise the location of clinics. Neuter and Return should be advertised and explained to the public. A Public Relations Bureau could be engaged to handle this.     

A network of volunteer dog wardens should be established in each clinic area. School children enthused by the Education Project might also help. Their job would be to locate, feed, befriend and catch street dogs, then to care for them after release, notifying their local clinic of illnesses, injuries or complaints. Dog wardens would help to recatch dogs for booster vaccinations. They could also guard catching cages to prevent theft.

Weak, small or handicapped dogs would be held in clinics or passed on to animal welfare associations pending adoption/rehoming or as a last resort euthanasia.

Local newspapers should be encouraged to help with adverts for rehoming dogs which cannot be returned to their community, for example grown puppies with no home territory, or small or weak dogs.

15. How long will it take and how much will the project cost ?

If we take a putative town of 70000 inhabitants and 4000 free roaming dogs, with an existing clinic including holding and recuperation facilities, and assume that all vehicles, personnel and equipment are in place, it will theoretically take only one year to reduce the fertile female breeding population from 2000 to 161 dogs and after 3 years there will only be 5 fertile females left to breed.

This of course presupposes that owners who allow their fertile females to roam the streets cooperate and allow their bitches to be neutered (or keep them inside their homes when on heat) and that no new fertile females are dumped from outside the town.

There must be co-operation between municipal clinics so that spare capacity in one municipality is used for collecting and neutering dogs from neighbouring municipalities. Each province should also have a number of mobile clinics, together with portable holding and recuperation facilities, so that personnel and equipment can be used efficiently.

There are plenty of European animal welfare associations who would provide training to vets and dog catching teams and other advice free of charge to the project.

One off capital expenditure:

Fixed clinic                                                 Mobile clinic

Clinic building       $ 20000,-                      Mobile clinic             $ 40.000,-

2 vans                           $  32000,-                             1 van                                $ 16000,-

50 recuperation cages    $    6000,-                             25 cages                           $   3000,-

6 catching cages            $    1200,-                             2 catching cages               $     400,-

Furniture                       $    1000,-                             Recuperation tent 7 x 7m  $   1250,-

6 catchpoles                   $     700,-                              3 catchpoles                     $     350,-

Vet equipment               $    4300,-                             Equipmt + generator         $   2500,-

2 blowpipes                   $    2000,-                             1 blowpipe                        $    1000,-

Gloves, clothing            $      800,-                             Gloves, clothing                $     500,-

Other                            $    1000,-                              Other                                $     600,-

Total                      $ 69000,-                         Total                        $ 65600,- 

Personnel required in each clinic (Year 1).

Wage costs incl. tax and social charges.                      Mobile clinic.

Manager             $ 250                                                Vet:                      $ 300

Vet                     $ 300                                                 2 drivers/helpers  $ 100 each

4 drivers/helpers $ 100 each                                         3 catchers/carers  $ 120 each

3 catchers/carers $ 120 each                                         2 vet assistants     $ 150 each

2 vet assistants $ 150 each                                            Food tickets         $ 360

1 cleaner           $ 90

1 night guard    $ 100

Food tickets      $ 500

Total :    $ 2300 per month                                        Total:      $ 1520,- per month

Other monthly costs:

Fuel for vans          $   200                                           Fuel                       $   200,-

Cleaning materials  $  100                                          Cleaning materials $  100,- 

Medicine/vaccines  $ 3000                                           Medicine/vaccines $  2000,-

Dogfood                 $   400                                           Dogfood                 $   300,-                         

Phone incl mobiles $   200                                           Mobile phones       $   200,-

Other incl repairs   $   100                                           Other                     $   100,-

         Total           $  4000                                           Total                     $ 2900,-

Monthly costs incl staff (year 1)  $ 6300,-   Monthly mobile clinic costs (year 1): $ 4420,-

Year 2:       2 drivers and 2 dog catchers are sufficient;

                      less fuel, dogfood, medicine, vaccines

Monthly costs (year 2)  $ 5000,-                  Monthly mobile clinic costs (year 2):   $ 4420,-     

Year 3:      1 driver, 1 dog catcher, 1 asst vet suffice;             2 catchers + 1 asst vet suffice

                     less fuel, dogfood, medicine etc.

Monthly costs (year 3) $  4000,-                  Monthly mobile clinic costs (year 3):   $ 3600,-

ANNUAL COSTS per fixed clinic:                per mobile clinic:

Year 1:  Building + eqpmt  $ 69.000,-                         Clinic + equipmt        $ 65.600,-  

               Personnel + other $ 75.600,-                          Personnel + other      $ 53040,-   

                   TOTAL: $ 144.600,-                     TOTAL:           $ 118.640,-

Year 2:  Personnel + other $ 60.000,-             Personnel + other $ 53040,-    

Year 3:  Personnel + other $  48.000,-            Personnel + other $ 43200,-

TOTAL COST OVER 3 YEARS:

FIXED CLINIC: US $ 252.600,-                    MOBILE CLINIC: US $ 214.880,-

*********************************************************************

If we assume that there will be 300 such fixed clinics and 40 mobile clinics (one per province/ “judetul”) in Romania to complete the project nationally the total cost over 3 years of solving Romania’s stray dog problem will be:

approx. US Dollars  84.375.200,-

 excl. the costs of the Dog Population Management Board

but less income from sponsorship and from sale of assets

and less the millions of dollars spent every year on the futile killing of dogs.

This equates to about US $1,17 or Lei 35.000,- per Romanian citizen per year.

*********************************************************************

‘Neuter and Return’ solves the stray dog problem for ever for an investment of no more than $85 million over 3 years. The never-ending catching, incarceration and killing of dogs by municipalities at present costs much more than this over a ten or twenty year period and is totally ineffective.

16.  Commercial Sponsorship.

A main sponsor should be sought to sponsor the whole project. This could be a bank, a pharmaceutical or consumer products company or one of the large holding companies with diverse interests. Their name would appear on all publicity, on the vehicles and on the clinics. Secondary sponsors such as dogfood manufacturers should also be sought.

If the clinic buildings and equipment and the vehicles were all sponsored this would save $ 16.2 million.

Many companies would be interested in sponsoring a socially beneficial project with short term beneficial results for the human (and canine) population of Romania.

17. Future use of clinics/ dog control.

Once the number of stray dogs to be neutered diminishes (within 3 years) to about one per day, the local clinics should be converted into commercial veterinary clinics leased or rented out by the municipality. The clinics could be franchised to private vets on condition that all stray and owned dogs continue to be neutered and vaccinated free of charge or at cost price and that free quarantine facilities are available to the municipality.

A licensing system should be introduced whereby all un-neutered dogs be registered (possibly with microchips or discs) at their local clinic and the owner charged a licence fee starting at $ 10 in the first year, gradually increasing to $ 50 per dog in subsequent years. Neutered dogs would also be registered but free of charge. Unregistered and un-neutered dogs picked up or brought in would automatically be neutered before being returned to claimants.

Local clinics could also be used as bases for the enforcement of animal protection laws - bases for local ‘R.S.P.C.A’s’.

18. Licensing Dog Breeders.

These should be licensed (free of charge) by the local veterinary authorities, under supervision by local animal welfare associations, who would ensure that no bitch has more than two litters in her life-time, by having her neutered after her second litter, and who would remove the licence of any breeder mistreating or in-breeding animals.

19. Pitfalls.

Failure to provide finance when scheduled.

Corruption by employees/supervisors (especially in purchasing).

Misuse of vehicles. Diversion or theft of medicines/dogfood.

Obstruction by local officials/municipal vets.

Failure by municipalities to implement project despite availability of finance.

Obstruction by politia sanitara veterinara.

Dumping of dogs from recalcitrant municipalities on those implementing the project.

“Complaint Fatigue” by municipalities.

20. Lobbying

To lobby successfully for Neuter and Return throughout Romania it is necessary for animal welfare associations to work together and to eschew the disputes and jealousies which characterise animal welfare movements in most countries.

FPCC would be interested to hear from groups who would like to join an umbrella Animal Welfare Organisation for the whole of Romania.

To succeed it is necessary to work with politicians and officials who may feel alienated by (what they consider) fanaticism or silly sentimentality about animals.

21. Conclusion.

Both dog haters and dog lovers have the same aim: to make the streets of Romania like those of any British, French or German town, with no stray dogs.

The only question is: how can this common aim be achieved ?

- Killing does not work and is in any case barbaric and now illegal.

- Removal and incarceration, with or without euthanasia, is futile, never-ending and   unaffordable.

-         ‘Neuter and Return’ is the only practical and permanent solution, but it requires political will, short-term funding and efficient implementation.

This Report was written by Robert Smith and updated in April 2005.

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Anschließend das rumänische Tierschutzgesetz!

Rumänien unterzeichnete hier dieses Abkommen!

Präambel

Die Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates, die dieses Übereinkommen unterzeichnen,
in der Erwägung, daß es das Ziel des Europarates ist, eine engere Verbindung zwischen seinen Mitgliedern herbeizuführen;
in der Erkenntnis, daß der Mensch die ethische Verpflichtung hat, alle Lebewesen zu achten, und eingedenk der besonderen Beziehung des Menschen zu den Heimtieren;
in Anbetracht der Bedeutung der Heimtiere wegen ihres Beitrags zur Lebensqualität und ihres daraus folgenden Wertes für die Gesellschaft;
in Anbetracht der Schwierigkeiten, die sich aus der großen Vielfalt der vom Menschen gehaltenen Tiere ergeben;
in Anbetracht der Gefahren, die sich bei einer zu großen Zahl von Heimtieren für Hygiene, Gesundheit und Sicherheit des Menschen und anderer Tiere ergeben;
in der Erwägung, daß die Haltung von Exemplaren wildlebender Tiere als Heimtiere nicht gefördert werden sollte;
im Bewußtsein der unterschiedlichen Bedingungen, die für den Erwerb, die Haltung, die gewerbsmäßige und nicht gewerbsmäßige Zucht sowie für die Weitergabe von Heimtieren und den Handel mit Heimtieren gelten;
in dem Bewußtsein, daß Heimtiere nicht immer unter Bedingungen gehalten werden, die ihre Gesundheit und ihr Wohlbefinden fördern;
in der Erkenntnis, daß die Einstellung zu Heimtieren sehr unterschiedlich ist, manchmal wegen eines Mangels an Wissen und Bewußtsein;
in der Erwägung, daß eine gemeinsame grundlegende Richtschnur für Einstellung und Umgang, die zu einem verantwortungsvollen Verhalten der Eigentümer von Heimtieren führt, ein nicht nur wünschenswertes, sondern auch realistisches Ziel ist,
sind wie folgt übereingekommen:

Kapitel I – Allgemeine Bestimmungen

Artikel 1 – Begriffsbestimmungen

1. Der Ausdruck Heimtier bezeichnet ein Tier, das der Mensch insbesondere in seinem Haushalt zu seiner eigenen Freude und als Gefährten hält oder das für diesen Zweck bestimmt ist.
2. Der Ausdruck Handel mit Heimtieren bezeichnet alle in größerem Umfang getätigten, auf Gewinnerzielung gerichteten ordentlichen Handelsgeschäfte, die mit einem Wechsel des Eigentums an Heimtieren verbunden sind.
3. Der Ausdruck gewerbsmäßige Zucht und Haltung bezeichnet die überwiegend auf Gewinnerzielung gerichtete Zucht oder Haltung in größerem Umfang.
4. Der Ausdruck Tierheim bezeichnet eine nicht auf Gewinnerzielung gerichtete Einrichtung, in der Heimtiere in größerer Anzahl gehalten werden können. Soweit es die innerstaatlichen Rechtsvorschriften und/oder Verwaltungsmaßnahmen zulassen, kann eine solche Einrichtung auch streunende Tiere aufnehmen.
5. Der Ausdruck streunendes Tier bezeichnet ein Heimtier, das entweder kein Zuhause hat oder sich außerhalb der Grenzen des Haushalts seines Eigentümers oder Halters aufhält und nicht unter der Kontrolle oder unmittelbaren Aufsicht eines Eigentümers oder Halters befindet.
6. Der Ausdruck zuständige Behörde bezeichnet die von dem Mitgliedstaat benannte Behörde.

Artikel 2 – Geltungsbereich und Durchführung

1. Jede Vertragspartei verpflichtet sich, die erforderlichen Maßnahmen zur Durchführung der Bestimmungen dieses Übereinkommens zu treffen in bezug auf:
   1. Heimtiere, die von einer natürlichen oder juristischen Person in einem Haushalt oder in einer Einrichtung für den Handel oder die gewerbsmäßige Zucht und Haltung sowie in Tierheimen gehalten werden;
   2. gegebenenfalls streunende Tiere.
2. Dieses Übereinkommen läßt die Durchführung anderer Übereinkünfte zum Schutz von Tieren oder zur Erhaltung bedrohter wildlebender Tierarten unberührt.
3. Dieses Übereinkommen läßt die Befugnis der Vertragsparteien unberührt, strengere Maßnahmen zum Schutz von Heimtieren zu treffen oder die Bestimmungen des Übereinkommens auf Tierkategorien anzuwenden, die in dieser Übereinkunft nicht ausdrücklich aufgeführt sind.

Kapitel II – Grundsätze für die Haltung von Heimtieren

Artikel 3 – Grundsätze für das Wohlbefinden der Tiere

1. Niemand darf unnötig einem Heimtier Schmerzen oder Leiden zufügen oder es in Angst versetzen.
2. Niemand darf ein Heimtier aussetzen.

Artikel 4 – Haltung

1. Wer ein Heimtier hält oder sich bereit erklärt hat, es zu betreuen, ist für dessen Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden verantwortlich.
2. Wer ein Heimtier hält oder betreut, sorgt für Unterkunft, Pflege und Zuwendung, die den ethologischen Bedürfnissen des Tieres entsprechend seiner Art und Rasse Rechnung tragen; insbesondere:
   1. gibt er dem Tier genügend geeignetes Futter und Wasser,
   2. sorgt er für angemessene Bewegungsmöglichkeiten für das Tier,
   3. trifft er alle zumutbaren Maßnahmen, um zu verhindern, daß das Tier entweicht.
3. Ein Tier darf nicht als Heimtier gehalten werden:
   1. wenn die Bedingungen des Absatzes 2 nicht erfüllt werden oder
   2. wenn das Tier sich trotz Erfüllung dieser Bedingungen nicht an die Gefangenschaft gewöhnen kann.

Artikel 5 – Zucht

Wer ein Heimtier zur Zucht auswählt, ist gehalten, die anatomischen, physiologischen und ethologischen Merkmale zu berücksichtigen, die Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden der Nachkommenschaft oder des weiblichen Elternteils gefährden könnten.

Artikel 6 – Altersgrenze für den Erwerb

Ein Heimtier darf nicht ohne ausdrückliche Zustimmung der Eltern oder anderer Personen, welche die elterliche Gewalt innehaben, an Personen unter 16 Jahren verkauft werden.

Artikel 7 – Abrichtung

Ein Heimtier darf nicht in einer Weise abgerichtet werden, die seine Gesundheit und sein Wohlbefinden beeinträchtigt, insbesondere dadurch, daß es gezwungen wird, seine natürlichen Fähigkeiten oder Kräfte zu überschreiten, oder daß künstliche Hilfsmittel angewendet werden, die Verletzungen oder unnötige Schmerzen, Leiden oder Ängste verursachen.

Artikel 8 – Handel, gewerbsmäßige Zucht und Haltung, Tierheime

1. Wer zum Zeitpunkt des Inkrafttretens dieses Übereinkommens mit Heimtieren handelt oder sie gewerbsmäßig züchtet oder hält oder ein Tierheim betreibt, teilt dies der zuständigen Behörde innerhalb eines von jeder Vertragspartei festzusetzenden angemessenen Zeitraums mit.
   Wer die Absicht hat, eine dieser Tätigkeiten aufzunehmen, teilt dies der zuständigen Behörde mit.
2. Die Mitteilung hat folgende Angaben zu enthalten:
   1. die Heimtierarten, die betroffen sind oder betroffen sein werden,
   2. den Namen der verantwortlichen Person und deren Kenntnisse,
   3. eine Beschreibung der Gebäude und Einrichtungen, die benutzt werden oder benutzt werden sollen.
3. Die obigen Tätigkeiten dürfen nur durchgeführt werden, wenn
   1. die verantwortliche Person die für die Tätigkeit erforderlichen Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten entweder im Rahmen ihrer Berufsausbildung oder aber durch ausreichende Erfahrung im Umgang mit Heimtieren erworben hat und
   2. die für die Tätigkeit benutzten Gebäude und Einrichtungen die in Artikel 4 aufgeführten Anforderungen erfüllen.
4. Die zuständige Behörde stellt anhand der Mitteilung nach Absatz 1 fest, ob die in Absatz 3 aufgeführten Auflagen erfüllt sind. Sind diese Auflagen nicht in angemessener Weise erfüllt, so empfiehlt sie Maßnahmen und verbietet, wenn dies für das Wohlbefinden der Tiere notwendig ist, die Aufnahme oder Fortführung der Tätigkeit.
5. Die zuständige Behörde überwacht in Übereinstimmung mit den innerstaatlichen Rechtsvorschriften, ob die oben genannten Auflagen erfüllt werden.

Artikel 9 – Werbung, Unterhaltung, Ausstellungen, Wettkämpfe und ähnliche Veranstaltungen

1. Heimtiere dürfen nicht für Werbungs- oder Unterhaltungszwecke oder für Ausstellungen, Wettkämpfe oder ähnliche Veranstaltungen verwendet werden, es sei denn, daß:
   1. der Veranstalter die erforderlichen Voraussetzungen dafür geschaffen hat, daß die Heimtiere in Übereinstimmung mit den Erfordernissen des Artikels 4 Absatz 2 behandelt werden, und
   2. Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden der Heimtiere nicht gefährdet werden.
2. Heimtieren dürfen keine Mittel verabreicht werden, sie dürfen keinen Behandlungen unterzogen werden, und es dürfen keine Verfahren auf sie angewendet werden, die darauf abzielen, ihr natürliches Leistungsniveau zu steigern oder herabzusetzen:
   1. bei Wettkämpfen oder
   2. zu jeder anderen Zeit, wenn dadurch Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden des betreffenden Tieres gefährdet würden.

Artikel 10 – Chirurgische Eingriffe

1. Chirurgische Eingriffe zur Veränderung der äußeren Erscheinung eines Heimtiers oder zu anderen nicht der Heilung dienenden Zwecken sind verboten, insbesondere:
   1. das Kupieren des Schwanzes,
   2. das Kupieren der Ohren,
   3. das Durchtrennen der Stimmbänder,
   4. das Entfernen der Krallen und Zähne.
2. Ausnahmen von diesen Verboten sind nur gestattet:
   1. wenn ein Tierarzt nicht der Heilung dienende Verfahren entweder aus veterinärmedizinischen Gründen oder zum Wohl eines bestimmten Tieres für notwendig hält,
   2. zur Verhütung der Fortpflanzung.
3. 1. Eingriffe, bei denen das Tier erhebliche Schmerzen erleiden wird oder erleiden könnte, dürfen nur unter Betäubung von einem Tierarzt oder unter seiner Aufsicht vorgenommen werden.
   2. Eingriffe, bei denen keine Betäubung erforderlich ist, können von einer Person vorgenommen werden, die nach den innerstaatlichen Rechtsvorschriften sachkundig ist.

Artikel 11 – Töten

1. Nur ein Tierarzt oder eine andere sachkundige Person darf ein Heimtier töten, außer in einem Notfall, wenn ein Tier von seinen Leiden erlöst werden muß und die Hilfe eines Tierarztes oder einer anderen sachkundigen Person nicht umgehend erlangt werden kann, oder in einem anderen in den innerstaatlichen Rechtsvorschriften vorgesehenen Notfall. Das Töten muß mit einem in Anbetracht der Umstände möglichst geringen Maß an physischen und psychischen Leiden erfolgen. Die gewählte Methode muß außer in einem Notfall:
   1. entweder zu sofortiger Bewußtlosigkeit und zum Tod führen oder
   2. mit einer tiefen allgemeinen Betäubung beginnen, gefolgt von einer Maßnahme, die sicher zum Tod führt.

   Die für das Töten verantwortliche Person muß sich vergewissern, daß das Tier tot ist, bevor der Tierkörper beseitigt wird.

2. Folgende Tötungsmethoden sind zu verbieten:
   1. Ertränken und andere Methoden des Erstickens, wenn sie nicht die in Absatz 1 Buchstabe b geforderte Wirkung haben;
   2. die Verwendung von Gift oder Medikamenten, bei denen Dosierung und Anwendung im Hinblick auf die in Absatz 1 genannte Wirkung nicht kontrollierbar sind;
   3. das Töten durch elektrischen Strom, es sei denn, daß vorher eine sofortige Bewußtlosigkeit herbeigeführt wird.

Kapitel III – Zusätzliche Maßnahmen für streunende Tiere

Artikel 12 – Verringerung der Anzahl streunender Tiere

Ist eine Vertragspartei der Ansicht, daß die Anzahl streunender Tiere ein Problem darstellt, so trifft sie die Gesetzgebungs- und/oder Verwaltungsmaßnahmen, die notwendig sind, um diese Anzahl durch Methoden zu verringern, die keine vermeidbaren Schmerzen, Leiden oder Ängste verursachen.

1. Solche Maßnahmen müssen folgende Anforderungen einschließen:
   1. Müssen solche Tiere gefangen werden, so hat dies mit einem in Anbetracht der Natur des Tieres möglichst geringen Maß an physischen und psychischen Leiden zu geschehen;
   2. sowohl die Haltung als auch das Töten gefangener Tiere hat in Übereinstimmung mit den in diesem Übereinkommen niedergelegten Grundsätzen zu geschehen.
2. Die Vertragsparteien verpflichten sich, folgendes zu erwägen:
   1. eine dauerhafte Kennzeichnung von Hunden und Katzen mit geeigneten Mitteln, die nur geringe oder vorübergehende Schmerzen, Leiden oder Ängste verursachen, z. B. durch Tätowieren und Registrieren der Nummer zusammen mit Namen und Anschrift des Eigentümers;
   2. Verringerung des Ausmaßes der ungeplanten Fortpflanzung von Hunden und Katzen durch Förderung der Unfruchtbarmachung;
   3. Ermutigung des Finders eines streunenden Hundes oder einer streunenden Katze, seinen Fund bei der zuständigen Behörde zu melden.

Artikel 13 – Ausnahmen für das Fangen, Halten und Töten

Ausnahmen von den in diesem Übereinkommen niedergelegten Grundsätzen für das Fangen, Halten und Töten streunender Tiere können nur gemacht werden, wenn sie im Rahmen staatlicher Programme zur Bekämpfung von Krankheiten unvermeidbar sind.

Kapitel IV – Information und Erziehung

Artikel 14 – Informations- und Erziehungsprogramme

Die Vertragsparteien verpflichten sich, die Erarbeitung von Informations- und Erziehungsprogrammen anzuregen, um bei Organisationen und Einzelpersonen, die mit der Haltung, Zucht, Abrichtung und Betreuung von Heimtieren sowie dem Handel damit befaßt sind, das Bewußtsein für die Bestimmungen und Grundsätze dieses Übereinkommens und die Kenntnis dieser Bestimmungen und Grundsätze zu fördern. In diesen Programmen ist insbesondere auf folgende Punkte hinzuweisen:

1. die Notwendigkeit, die Abrichtung von Heimtieren für gewerbliche Zwecke oder Wettkämpfe von Personen mit angemessenen Kenntnissen und Fähigkeiten durchführen zu lassen;
2. die Notwendigkeit, davon abzuraten:
   1. Heimtiere ohne ausdrückliche Zustimmung der Eltern oder anderer Personen, welche die elterliche Gewalt innehaben, an Personen unter 16 Jahren zu verschenken,
   2. Heimtiere als Preise, Gewinne oder Prämien auszusetzen,
   3. Heimtiere sich ungeplant fortpflanzen zu lassen;
3. die möglichen nachteiligen Folgen für Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden wildlebender Tiere, wenn diese als Heimtiere erworben oder eingeführt werden;
4. die Gefahren eines verantwortungslosen Erwerbs von Heimtieren, der zu einer Erhöhung der Anzahl unerwünschter und ausgesetzter Tiere führt.

Kapitel V – Multilaterale Konsultationen

Artikel 15 – Multilaterale Konsultationen

1. Die Vertragsparteien halten innerhalb von fünf Jahren nach Inkrafttreten des Übereinkommens und danach alle fünf Jahre sowie jederzeit auf Antrag der Mehrheit der Vertreter der Vertragsparteien multilaterale Konsultationen im Rahmen des Europarates ab mit dem Ziel, die Anwendung des Übereinkommens sowie die Zweckmäßigkeit einer Revision des Übereinkommens oder einer Erweiterung einzelner Bestimmungen desselben zu prüfen. Diese Konsultationen finden auf Sitzungen statt, die vom Generalsekretär des Europarates anberaumt werden.
2. Jede Vertragspartei hat das Recht, einen Vertreter zur Teilnahme an diesen Konsultationen zu benennen. Jeder Mitgliedstaat des Europarates, der nicht Vertragspartei des Übereinkommens ist, hat das Recht, sich bei diesen Konsultationen durch einen Beobachter vertreten zu lassen.
3. Nach jeder Konsultation legen die Vertragsparteien dem Ministerkomitee des Europarates einen Bericht über die Konsultationen sowie über die Wirkungsweise des Übereinkommens vor, der, falls sie dies für notwendig halten, auch Vorschläge zur Änderung der Artikel 15 bis 23 des Übereinkommens enthält.
4. Vorbehaltlich dieses Übereinkommens geben sich die Vertragsparteien für die Konsultationen eine Geschäftsordnung.

Kapitel VI – Änderungen

Artikel 16 – Änderungen

1. Jede von einer Vertragspartei oder vom Ministerkomitee vorgeschlagene Änderung der Artikel 1 bis 14 wird dem Generalsekretär des Europarates übermittelt und von ihm an die Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates, an jede Vertragspartei und an jeden nach Artikel 19 zum Beitritt zu dem Übereinkommen eingeladenen Staat weitergeleitet.
2. Jede nach Absatz 1 vorgeschlagene Änderung wird frühestens zwei Monate nach dem Tag, an dem sie vom Generalsekretär weitergeleitet wurde, im Rahmen einer multilateralen Konsultation geprüft, auf der sie von einer Zweidrittelmehrheit der Vertragsparteien angenommen werden kann. Der angenommene Wortlaut wird den Vertragsparteien zugeleitet.
3. Eine Änderung tritt zwölf Monate nach ihrer Annahme im Rahmen einer multilateralen Konsultation in Kraft, sofern nicht eine der Vertragsparteien Einwände notifiziert hat.

Kapitel VII – Schlußbestimmungen

Artikel 17 – Unterzeichnung, Ratifikation, Annahme, Genehmigung

Dieses Übereinkommen liegt für die Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates zur Unterzeichnung auf. Es bedarf der Ratifikation, Annahme oder Genehmigung. Die Ratifikations-, Annahme- oder Genehmigungsurkunden werden beim Generalsekretär des Europarates hinterlegt.

Artikel 18 – Inkrafttreten

1. Dieses Übereinkommen tritt am ersten Tag des Monats in Kraft, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach dem Tag folgt, an dem vier Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates nach Artikel 17 ihre Zustimmung ausgedrückt haben, durch das Übereinkommen gebunden zu sein.
2. Für jeden Mitgliedstaat, der später seine Zustimmung ausdrückt, durch das Übereinkommen gebunden zu sein, tritt es am ersten Tag des Monats in Kraft, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach Hinterlegung der Ratifikations-, Annahme- oder Genehmigungsurkunde folgt.

Artikel 19 – Beitritt von Nichtmitgliedstaaten

1. Nach Inkrafttreten dieses Übereinkommens kann das Ministerkomitee des Europarates durch einen mit der in Artikel 20 Buchstabe d der Satzung des Europarates vorgesehenen Mehrheit und mit einhelliger Zustimmung der Vertreter der Vertragsstaaten, die Anspruch auf einen Sitz im Ministerkomitee haben, gefaßten Beschluß jeden Nichtmitgliedstaat des Europarates einladen, dem Übereinkommen beizutreten.
2. Für jeden beitretenden Staat tritt das Übereinkommen am ersten Tag des Monats in Kraft, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach Hinterlegung der Beitrittsurkunde beim Generalsekretär des Europarates folgt.

Artikel 20 – Geltungsbereichsklausel

1. Jeder Staat kann bei der Unterzeichnung oder bei der Hinterlegung seiner Ratifikations-, Annahme-, Genehmigungs- oder Beitrittsurkunde einzelne oder mehrere Hoheitsgebiete bezeichnen, auf die dieses Übereinkommen Anwendung findet.
2. Jede Vertragspartei kann jederzeit danach durch eine an den Generalsekretär des Europarates gerichtete Erklärung die Anwendung dieses Übereinkommens auf jedes weitere in der Erklärung bezeichnete Hoheitsgebiet erstrecken. Das Übereinkommen tritt für dieses Hoheitsgebiet am ersten Tag des Monats in Kraft, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach Eingang der Erklärung beim Generalsekretär folgt.
3. Jede nach den Absätzen 1 und 2 abgegebene Erklärung kann in bezug auf jedes darin bezeichnete Hoheitsgebiet durch eine an den Generalsekretär gerichtete Notifikation zurückgenommen werden. Die Rücknahme wird am ersten Tag des Monats wirksam, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach Eingang der Notifikation beim Generalsekretär folgt.

Artikel 21 – Vorbehalte

1. Jeder Staat kann bei der Unterzeichnung oder bei der Hinterlegung seiner Ratifikations-, Annahme-, Genehmigungs- oder Beitrittsurkunde erklären, daß er von einem oder mehreren Vorbehalten zu Artikel 6 und zu Artikel 10 Absatz 1 Buchstabe a Gebrauch macht. Weitere Vorbehalte sind nicht zulässig.
2. Jede Vertragspartei, die einen Vorbehalt nach Absatz 1 angebracht hat, kann ihn durch eine an den Generalsekretär des Europarates gerichtete Notifikation ganz oder teilweise zurücknehmen. Die Rücknahme wird mit dem Eingang der Notifikation beim Generalsekretär wirksam.
3. Eine Vertragspartei, die einen Vorbehalt zu einer Bestimmung dieses Übereinkommens angebracht hat, kann nicht verlangen, daß eine andere Vertragspartei diese Bestimmung anwendet; sie kann jedoch, wenn es sich um einen Teilvorbehalt oder einen bedingten Vorbehalt handelt, die Anwendung der betreffenden Bestimmung insoweit verlangen, als sie selbst sie angenommen hat.

Artikel 22 – Kündigung

1. Jede Vertragspartei kann dieses Übereinkommen jederzeit durch eine an den Generalsekretär des Europarates gerichtete Notifikation kündigen.
2. Die Kündigung wird am ersten Tag des Monats wirksam, der auf einen Zeitabschnitt von sechs Monaten nach Eingang der Notifikation beim Generalsekretär folgt.

Artikel 23 – Notifikationen

Der Generalsekretär des Europarates notifiziert den Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates und jedem Staat, der diesem Übereinkommen beigetreten oder zum Beitritt eingeladen worden ist:

1. jede Unterzeichnung;
2. jede Hinterlegung einer Ratifikations-, Annahme-, Genehmigungs- oder Beitrittsurkunde;
3. jeden Zeitpunkt des Inkrafttretens dieses Übereinkommens nach den Artikeln 18, 19 und 20;
4. jede andere Handlung, Notifikation oder Mitteilung im Zusammenhang mit diesem Übereinkommen.

Zu Urkund dessen haben die hierzu gehörig befugten Unterzeichneten dieses Übereinkommen unterschrieben.
Geschehen zu Straßburg am 13. November 1987 in englischer und französischer Sprache, wobei jeder Wortlaut gleichermaßen verbindlich ist, in einer Urschrift, die im Archiv des Europarates hinterlegt wird. Der Generalsekretär des Europarates übermittelt allen Mitgliedstaaten des Europarates und allen zum Beitritt zu diesem Übereinkommen eingeladenen Staaten beglaubigte Abschriften.

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Das rumänische Tierschutzgesetz in deutscher Sprache von Brigitte übersetzt. (Toll und DANKE!)

Gesetz nr. 205 vom 26/05/2004

Betreff:Schutz der Tiere

Kapitel I

Allgemeine Anordnungen

Art.1. Das jetzige Gesetz reguliert die nötigen Masnahmen zur Absicherung der Lebensbedingungen und Wohlbefinden der Tiere mit oder ohne Halter.

(2) das Vermitteln der Tiere ohne Eigentümer  wird durch ein Sondergesetzt geregelt.

Art.2. Durch das jetzige Gesetz wird der Halter der Tiere so geregelt, durch daß er Eigentümer ist, in physischer oder juristischer Person.

Art.3. Die Halter der Tiere haben die Verpflichtung, die nötigen Gesundheitsnormen und artgerechte Tierhaltung  durch Ernährung, Unterkunft, Vermährung, Ausnutzung, so wie Alles Andere, was zum Wohlergehen , des Tieres nötig ist, zu sorgen.

Art.4. Die Halter der TiereHaben die Verpflichtung, ein unaufälliges Benehmen, ohne Gewalt gegenüber den Tieren zu führen, ihnen ein artgerechtes Leben zu sicher, ohne misshndeln oder ausetzen.

Art.5. Die Halter haben die Verpflichtung, abhängig von Rasse, Geschlecht, Alter, spezielle Fürsorge, der Züchtung, folgendes zu beachten:

a) eine angemesene Unterkunft

-b) Nahrung und wasser ausreichend

c)die notwendigen  Bewegungsmöglichkeiten

d) Pflege und Aufmerksamkeit

Den Halter ist es untersagt, die Tiere zu misshandlen, wie : schlagen, quälen, oder andere Taten der Art.

Art.6.Laut diesem Gesetzt, versteht man unter schlechter Behandlung, : der grobe Umgang, , Ausnutzung, Quälreri oder physischer Übervorderung, die unötig ist, sowie die Nichrgewährleistung von den minimalen Lebensbedingungen zum Wohlergehen des Tieres

(2) Laut diesem Gesetzt versteht man unter Brutalität den Tieren gegenüber:

a) das Töten aus Perversion,

b) das Organiosieren von Kämpfen mit Tieren oder zwischen Tieren

c) den Missbrauch von lebenden Tieren um Hunde zu dresieren oder abzurichten

d) Den Missbrauch der Tiere für Ausstellung, Werbung oder Filme oder für ähnliche Zwecke. Wenn dies zu seelischen oder Physischen Leid der Tiere führt, andere Schäden oder Verletzungen

e) ein Tier aussetzten, dessen Überleben und Wohlergehen von einem Menschen abhängig ist

f) Das Verabreichen von Dopingmitteln an Tiere, die sich in sportlichen Veranstaltungen befinden, um ihre Leistung zu steigern

Art7 Die Tiere, die zu Wissenschaftlichen Versuchszwecken dienen, sind speciellen regelungen unterworfen, ohne ihnen nötigen Schmerz zuzufügen.

Art8 (1) Die Nationale Sanitäre-Veterinäre Autorität (NSVA)und die der Sicherung der Lebensmittel , SL)representieren die Nationale Autorität zum Schutz der Tiere

(2) die Haltungsbedingungen, die Unterkunft und Erhaltung( Pflege) der Tiere werden von den beiden Autoritäten  festgelegt.

KapiteII

Bedingungen zur Haltung

Art.9 (1)die Halter von wilden Tieren können diese halten, wenn sie die Genehmigung Befugnis von dem den beiden oberen Institutionen haben., sprich  Kreis Bukarest

(2)Die Bedingungen zur Haltung wilder Tiere werrden Festgesetzt von Regelungen des Agrikulturministers, der Wäder und Städteentwicklung, bei den Vorschlägen von den zwei oben genannten Institutionen(NSVA, SL)

Art10 (1)Ein Halter ist verpflichtet, ein krankes oder verletztes Tier zu pflegen und rictig zu behandeln

(2)Die zuständige Veterinärbehörde kann  über das Töten oder Schlachten-je nach Fall- entscheiden, um das unnötige Leiden dem Tier zu ersparen.

(3) die Regelungen(1) und(2) gelten nicht für Tiere , die zu Forschungszwecken oder anderen Experimenten dienen.

Art11 Halter die eine Tier zur Zucht einsetzen, haben die Verpflichtung, Folgendes zu Beachten und respekieren : die anatomischen und physiologischen Merkmale, das verhalten der bestimmten Rasse, sodaß die Nachkommen kein Schaden erleiden, sowohl gesundheitlich las auch zum Wohlergehn der Nachkommen.

Art12 die Person, die sich mir der Dresur der Tiere befasst, darf keine Mittel oder Methoden verwenden, die dem Tier seelischen oder körperlichen Schaden zufügt

Kapitel III

Bedingungen betreff. Das handeln mit Tieren , den Tranport der Tiere sowie die Nutzung deren in der Öffentlichkeit, Shows, Ausstellungen, Veranstaltungen oder Ähnlichem

Art13 Die NSVA und SL können zum Zwecke des Artenschutzes im eigenen  Land, bestimmte Regelungen festlegen um den Import, Export , Transit  oder den Handel mit Tieren zu regeln, einschräken oder sogar verbieten.

Art14  (1)Die Beförderer der Tier haben dafür zu sorgen, daß die Tiere unter richtigen Bedingungen transportiert werden , im Zusammenhang mit dem Geschlecht, Alter, Rasse  um die Verletzungen oder  Mütigkeit der Tiere zu vermeiden.

(2) Die bedingungen für den Transport werden von  dem President von NSVA und SL festgelegt.

Art15  Die Tiere dürfen für Vorstellungen, Shows, Veranstaltungen  verwendet werden, wenn:

a)der Veranstalter sorgt füt die Bedingungen aus Art5

b)die gesundheit und das Wohlergehen der Tiere wird nicht gefährdet

Art16 Bei Veranstaltungenoder Wettkämpfen  ist es verboten den Tieren Mittel oder Behandlungen auszusetzen, die bei den Tieren Leistungssteigerung oder Abschwächung  hervorrufen

Kapitel IV

Chirurgische Eingriffe

Art17 (1) Die Tiere werden nur unter notwedigen Umständen den Eingriffen ausgesetzt

(2) Die Eigriffe erfolgen nur unter lokaler Beteubung, oder, nach Fall, unter Vollnarkose nur vom Tierartz.

(3) Die Eingriffe, die Schmerzen verursachen können, durfen nur vom Tierartz durchgeführt werden.

Art18 Mit Ausnahme von Art17(2) betrifft es Tiere die zu Forschungszwecken oder anderen Wissenschaftlichen Zwecken dienen, da können auch andere autorisierte Personen durchgeführt werden, die die fachliche Kompetenz haben

KapitelV

Schlachtung oder Tötung der Tiere

Art19 Die Tiere werden kenen unötigen Qualen ausgesetztim Falle der Tötung oder Schlachtung

Art20 Das Schlachten wird unter den geltenden Gesetzten durchgeführt

Art21 Die Vorschrift von Art20 wird nicht durchgeführt, wenn es sich um ein durch ein Unfall verletztes Tier , oder krankes Tier handelt, bei denen die Tötung oder Schlachtung  sofort durchgeführt werden muss.

Kapitel VI

Die Nuzung der Tiere zur Forschung oder anderen experimentellen Zwecken

Art22 Die Tiere dürfen zu Forschungszwecken, diagnostizieren von Krankheiten , Produktion von medizinischen oder biologischen Produkten , oder ähnlichen Zwecken  verwendet werden, wenn es keine andere Möglichkeit gibt, um die Ziele zu erreichen

Kapitel VII

Bussgelder

Art23 (1) Enthält für folgende Straftaten ein Bussgeld:

a) nicht Einhaltung der Vorschriften von Art 12

b) nicht Einhaltung  von Vorwschriften Art 5 (1)

c) das Misshandeln eines Tieres

d) Nicht Einhaltung der Vorschriften Art 26 (3)

e)Das anwenden von Gräueltaten an einem Tier

(2) Die Sraftaten von (1) werden wie folgt mit Bussgeldern bestraft:

a) die von a) mit Geldstrafe von 2.000.000 lei bis 4.000.000 lei

b) die von b) und c)mit Geldstrafe von 3.000.000 lei bis 6.000.000 lei

c) die von d) mit Geldstrafe von 6.000.000 lei bis 10.000.000 lei

d) die von e) mit einer Geldstrafe von 10.000.000 lei bis 20.000.000 lei

Art 24 Im Fall, daß ein Tier drei mal in einem Zeitraum von zwei Jahren den oben aufgefühtren Staftaten ausgesetzt ist, wird dem Halter ausser der geldstrafe auch das Tier entzogen.  Die tiere kommen dann ins Tierheim, wo sie nach den gesetzlichen Bedingungen versorgt werden

Art 25 (1)  Die feststellung der Sraftaten sowie die Erhebung des Bussgeldes werden von den ermächtigten Personen vom Amt gemacht

(2) Der Straftäter kann sofort zahlen oder binnen einer Frist von höchstens 48 Stunden nach Bescheid, , die Häfte des Minimums der Strafsumme zahlen

(3) Die Bussgelder aus Art 23  sind angewand aus den Ordern  Des Guvern nr2/2001 , berteffend den juristischen Richtlinien der Bussgelder , genehmigt mit Änderungen und Zusätzen durch das Gesetz nr. 180/ 2002, mit aktuellen Änderungen.

Kapitel VIII

Letzte Regelungen

Art 26 (1) Das NSVA   und SL  und die dazugehörigen  Ämter werden Sorge tragen für die Durchsetzung der Regelungen des Gesetztes.

(2)     Um diese Regelungen zu Erfüllung des Gesetztes, haben bevollmächtigte Personen des Amtes das Recht den Zutritt in Gebäude, Unterkünfte  und anderen Plätzen zu bekommen, in denen sich die Tiere aufhalten. Sie haben das Recht auf Informationen, die Überprüfung der Papiere , oder Proben für Laboruntersuchungen zu erhalten.

(3)     Im Fall, daß die Tiere bei der Anschrift des Halters wohnen , ist der Zutritt der Personen von (2) nur mit Zustimmung des Halters.Beim Fehlen der Zustimmung, isr der Halter verpflichtet nachzuweisen, daß er die Regelungen aus Art 5 erfüllt.

Art 27 Die Regelungen aus Art 8 (2) , Art 9 (2) , Art 10 (2), Art 14 (2)  werden gesendet in einer Frist von 6 Monaten von dem datum der Veröffentlichung  in Monitorul Oficial al Romaniei, Erster Teil

Art 28 Dieses Gesetz tritt in Kraft nach zehn Tagen nach der Veröffentlichung. In Monitorul Oficial al Romaniei, Erster Teil

Dieses Gesetz wurde vom Senat angenommen an der Sitzung vom 8 März, 2004, unter Einhaltung der Regelungen Art76 (2) der Rumänischen Verfassung.

p. der President des Senats

Dour Ioan Taracila

Diese Gesetz wurde von der Deputantenkammer angenommen vei der Sitzung vom 18 Mai 2004 , unter Einhaltung der Regelungen Art76 (2) aus der Rumänischen Verfassung

p. Der President der Deputantenkammer

Constantin Nita

Bukarest, den 26 Mai 2004

Nr: 205

Das rumänische Tierschutzgesetz in engl. Sprache unter:

http://www.vier-pfoten.ro/en/index.htm

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Die Europäische Verfassungsvorlage nimmt den Tierschutz eingeschränkt auf:

(Gesendet von Jean Thill)

http://europa.eu.int/constitution/download/part_III_DE.pdf

Artikel III, 121

Bei der Festlegung und Durchführung der Politik der Union in den Bereichen Landwirtschaft, Fischerei, Verkehr, Binnen markt, Forschung, technologische Entwicklung und Raumfahrt tragen die Union und die Mitgliedsstaaten den Erfordernissen des Wohlergehens der Tiere als fühlende Wesen in vollem Umfang Rechnung; sie berücksichtigen dabei die Rechts- und Verwaltungsvorschriften und die Gepflogenheiten der Mitgliedsstaaten insbesondere in Bezug auf religiöse Riten, kulturelle Traditionen und das regionale Erbe.

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Verfassungslink:

http://europa.eu.int/constitution/constitution_de.htm

 deutsch: Politikbereiche der Union, Artikel III - 121
 französisch: Les politiques de l'Union, Artikel III -
 121
 englisch: The Union's policies, Artikel III - 121

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Das rumänische Tierschutzgesetz kann Ihnen als pdf-Datei auf Anfrage von uns zugesandt werden.

Wir haben versucht eine Kopie herzustellen, was uns nicht möglich war. Vermutlich braucht man für eine Kopie einer PDF-Datei eine besondere Software.

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Verordnungen. Richtlinien und Leitlinien zur Tierhaltung als pdf zum Herunterladen oder zum Bestellen kostenloser Broschüren finden Sie bei verbraucherministerium.de.

Verschiedene Informationen zum Thema Artenschutz finden Sie auf folgenden Websites:

•  http://www.cites.org/
•  http://www.umweltdatenbank.de/lexikon/washingtoner_artenschutzabkommen.htm
•  http://www.aquaup.de/wissen/artenschutz.htm
•  http://www.zzf.de/zza/030228.html
• Das türkische Tierschutzgesetz folgt weiter unten!

1. Ersuchen um Einschreiten wegen des Verdachts auf Zuwiderhandlung gegen das Tierschutzrecht

Durch Ersuchen um Einschreiten kann Tieren aus Not geholfen werden. Jedermann darf ersuchen, das Ersuchen darf nur nicht "Leichtfertig" sein. Das Ersuchen kann mündlich, telefonisch oder schriftlich erfolgen. Zu empfehlen ist mündlich oder telefonisch und ANSCHLIEßEND SCHRIFTLICH!
 
Zuständige Verwaltungsbehörden für das Ersuchen ist in Schleswig-Holstein das Veterinäramt des Kreises oder der kreisfreien Stadt. In anderen BUndesländern in der Regel ebenfalls.
Außerhalb der Dienstzeit haben einzelne Veterinärämter (Kiel) zeitweise einen Notdienst.
Ist das Veterinäramt nicht zu erreichen und ist das Einschreiten unaufschiebbar, weil sich ein Tier in Not befindet, ist die örtliche zuständige Polizeidienststelle anstatt des Veterinärmtes zum Einschreiten VERPFLICHTET! ( § 168 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 des Landesverwaltungsgesetzes).
Kommen Veterinäramt, bzw. Polizeidienststelle dem Ersuchen in angemessener Zeit nicht nach, ist sogleich Beschwerde zu erheben an die Vorgesetzte Person, ggf. dann an die vorgesetzte Behörde. Jede Amtsperson ist verpflichtet, auf Frage die vorgesetzte Person, bzw. Behörde zu nennen.

MUSTERBRIEF: ERSUCHEN

Name: ...
Straße: ...
PLZ,Wohnort: ...
Tel., Fax: ...

An Veterinäramt, Polizeidienststelle

....................

Ersuchen um Einschreiten gegen Zuwiderhandlung gegen das Tierschutzrecht

Wie aus der Anlage ersichtlich, ist dem Tierschutzrecht - insbesondere § 2 des Tierschutzgesetzes (Tierhaltung, Verdacht auf Verstoß) - zuwidergehandelt worden. Da der Zustand anhält, ersuche ich unverzüglich dagegen einzuschreiten und den gesetzmäßigen Zustand herzustellen.
Für Rückfragen stehe ich zur Verfügung.

Ich bitte mich vom Ergebnis Ihrer Tätigkeit zu unterrichten.

ANLAGE: Schilderung des Falles mit Datum, Uhrzeit, Zeugen, Fotos.

 

2. Anzeige wegen des Verdachts auf Zuwiderhandlung gegen das Tierschutzrecht

Durch Anzeige kann vergangenes Unrecht geahndet werden. Jedermann kann anzeigen, die Anzeige darf nur nicht "leichtfertig" sein. Die Anzeige kann mündlich oder schriftlich erfolgen. Zu empfehlen ist die schriftliche Form.(Mail, Fax)

Alle Polizeidienststellen haben ohne Rücksicht auf die örtliche Zuständigkeit Anzeigen anzunehmen, gleich ob es sich rechtlich um Straftaten oder Ordnungswidrigkeiten handelt.
In beiden Fällen ist die Polizei, ohne eigenen Ermessensspielraum zur Annahme und Weiterleitung der Anzeige verpflichtet: Weiterleitung bei Straftaten an die Staatsanwaltschaft, bei Ordnungswidrigkeiten an die zuständige Verwaltungsbehörde (in der Regel Odrnungsbehörde des Kreises, bzw. der kreisfreien Stadt). Sonst unterscheiden sich beide Verfahren nur dadurch, dass die Polizei bei Straftaten vor Weiterleitung eigene Ermittlungen anstellen muss, bei Ordnungswidrigkeiten nicht. Ob der angezeigte Sachverhalt einer Straftat nach § 17 des Tierschutzgesetzes entspricht oder eine eine Ordnungswidrigkeit nach § 18 des Tierschutzgesetzes ist, ist ohne Ermittlung oft nicht festzustellen.

MUSTER EINER ANZEIGE WEGEN ZUWIDERHANDLUNG GEGEN TIERSCHUTZRECHT:

Name: ...
Straße: ...
PLZ, Wohnort: ...
Tel., Fax: ...

Polizeidienststelle

Anzeige wegen Verdachts der Zuwiderhandlung gegen das Tierschutzrecht

Wie aus der Anlage ersichtlich, ist dem Tierschutzrecht-insbesondere § 2 des Tierschutzgesetzes (Tierhaltung) - zuwider gehandelt worden (Verdacht).
Ich zeige dies nach § 158 der Strafprozessordnung zur Einleitung eines Strafverfahrens, bzw. nach § 53 des Ordnungswidrigkeitengesetzes zur Einleitung eines Bußgeldverfahrens an.
Für Rückfragen stehe ich zur Verfügung.
Ich bitte darum vom Ausgang des Verfahrens unterrichtet zu werden.

ANLAGE: Wer, wo, wie , was???? (Datum, Uhrzeit, Zeugen, Fotos,
Sachverhalt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Das türkische Tierschutzgesetz in englischer Sprache:

TURKISH GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION

 

 

ANIMAL PROTECTION BILL LAW

 

 

 

 

 

Basis No: 1/323

Accepted: June 24, 2004

 

 

 

 

ANIMAL PROTECTION LAW

 

 

PART ONE

General Provisions

 

CHAPTER ONE

Purpose, Scope, Definitions and Principles

 

 

            Purpose

            ARTICLE 1 – The purpose of this law is to ensure that animals are afforded a comfortable life and receive good and proper treatment, to protect them in the best manner possible from the infliction of pain, suffering and torture, and to prevent all types of cruel treatment.

 

            Scope

            ARTICLE 2 – This Law includes the regulations to be made in line with the purpose article, the precautions to be taken, the coordination, supervision, restrictions and obligations to be imposed and the penal provisions to be enforced.

 

            Definitions

            ARTICLE 3 –

 

In this Act, the terms;

          

            a) Habitat: means the natural home of an animal or a group of animals,

 

            b) Ethology: means the branch of science which studies the naturally occurring behaviour of animals according to their species,  

 

            c) Ecosystem: means the biological, physical and chemical system within which living organisms carry out their relationships with each other and their non-living surroundings,

 

            d) Species: means populations which are capable of mating and interbreeding productively with each other,

 

            e) Domesticated animal: means animals which have been cultivated and trained by humans,

 

            f) Ownerless animal: means domestic animals which do not have a place to shelter or which are outside the limits of the house or land of their owner or guardian or which are not under the control or direct supervision of any owner or guardian,

           

            g) Incapacitated animal: means an animal used for riding or transportation which for various reasons such as age, maiming, injury or illness, not including contagious and epidemic animal illnesses, has physically lost the ability to work,

 

            h) Wild animal: means vertebrate and invertebrate animals living freely in nature which have not been domesticated or cultivated.

 

            ý) Domestic animals and pets: means all type of animals retained or intended to be retained by people in their houses, workplaces or on their land for private pleasure or security purposes whose care and responsibility is undertaken by their owners,

 

            j) Controlled animal: means duly registered house animals and pets which have been adopted by a person, institution, organisation or legal entity and whose care, vaccinations and periodic health check-ups are carried out.

 

            k) Animal Shelter: means a facility for the rehabilitation of animals,

           

            l) Testing: means the use of an animal for an experimental or other scientific purpose which will cause the animal pain, suffering, misery or long term damage,

 

            m) Test animal: means an animal which is or will be used in testing,

 

      n) Slaughter animal: means animals which are slaughtered for food purposes, 

          

            o) Ministry: means the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry,

           

 

            Principles                  

            ARTICLE 4 – The fundamental principles relating to the protection of animals and their welfare are as follows;

 

a) All animals are born equal and have a right to life within the framework of the provisions of this Law.

 

b) Domesticated animals have the freedom to live according to the living conditions specific to their species.  The lives of ownerless animals should be supported in the same way as those of animals with owners.

 

c) The necessary measures must be taken in order to protect, supervise and care for animals and shield them from maltreatment.

           

            d) It is a principle that natural persons and legal entities which meet the conditions set forth in this Law and which look after or wish to look after incapacitated or ownerless animals without consideration of any material gain or benefit but rather acting from a sense of humanitarian and conscientious responsibility will be encouraged and coordination in this regard will be ensured.

           

            e) It is a principle that endangered species and their natural habitats will be protected.

 

            f) It is a principle that wild animals will not be removed from their natural habitats, and animals which are living freely in nature will not be captured and deprived of their freedom.

           

            g) In the protection of animals and the facilitation of their welfare, the hygiene, health and safety of humans and other animals must be taken into account.

           

            h) It is a principle that animals will be cared for, fed, sheltered and transported under the conditions suited to their species.

 

            ý) Those that transport animals or have them transported must do so in a suitable environment and under suitable conditions according to their species and nature, and they must be fed and cared for during transportation.

          

            j) It is a principle that local authorities, in cooperation with voluntary organisations, must establish animal shelters and hospitals for the protection of ownerless and incapacitated animals, provide care and treatment for them and carry out educational programmes.

           

            k) It is a principle that the owners of cats and dogs being fed and accommodated in communal areas are expected to have them sterilised in order to prevent uncontrolled reproduction.  Furthermore, those who wish to breed from the said animals must register all young animals born and are responsible for their care and/or distribution.

 

 

PART TWO

Precautionary Measures

 

CHAPTER ONE

Ownership, care and welfare of animals

 

            Ownership and care of animals

            ARTICLE 5 – A person who participates in a general training program regarding the care of animals and who takes ownership of or looks after an animal is liable for sheltering the animal, meeting their ethological needs in accordance with their species and reproductive methods, taking care of their health and taking all necessary precautions with regard to the health and safety of people, animals and the environment.

 

Animal owners are obliged to take precautionary measures with regard to environmental pollution caused by their animals or danger and disturbance to other people.  They must compensate for any damage caused by their failure to take timely and sufficient precautions.

 

Those who sell domestic animals and pets are obliged to take part in certified training programmes arranged by the local authorities in relation to the care and protection of these animals.

           

The conditions for owning and keeping domestic pets or controlled animals, the principles and procedures relating to training to be given in animal welfare and the preventative measures against damage and disturbance caused by domestic animals will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, having obtained the opinion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and related organisations.

Unless there is a commercial purpose, a domestic pet being cared for within a house or garden cannot be sequestered due to the debts of their owner.

 

Those who produce and trade in domestic pets are obliged to take precautions in relation to necessary anatomic, physiological and behavioural characteristics in order not to endanger the health of pet owners, the mother selected for reproduction or her young.

           

Domestic pets and controlled animals which will not be able to re-establish harmony with their natural environment cannot be abandoned, and cannot be left where they will be unable to feed or adapt to the climate.         However, they can be reclaimed or handed over to an animal shelter.

 

Protection of ownerless and incapacitated animals

ARTICLE 6 – It is forbidden to kill ownerless or incapacitated animals, apart from the situations set forth in the Animal Health Police Law no. 3285.

 

Incapacitated animals will not be used for any commercial or performance purposes or used for riding or transporting purposes in any manner.

 

Within the framework of the legislative provisions in effect regarding the protection, care and supervision of ownerless animals, the arrangements relating to the authority and responsibility of local authorities and measures aimed at eliminating any negative effects on the environment that could occur will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, having obtained the opinion of related organisations

 

            Ownerless and incapacitated animals must be brought as quickly as possible to animal shelters established or permitted by the local authorities.  These animals will first be held in the observation areas established in these centres.  It is a principle that animals that have been sterilised, vaccinated and rehabilitated will be registered and released into the environment that they were taken from.

           

The rounding up of ownerless or incapacitated animals and the operating principles and procedures for animal shelters will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry, having obtained the opinion of related bodies and organisations.  Land owned by the Treasury can be allocated with priority to animal shelters and hospitals.  The allocation of land that is found to be used for other purposes will be cancelled.

 

            Land, related buildings and stock may be allocated by municipalities, forestry administrations, the Ministry of Finance or the Privatisation Administration to natural persons and legal entities which meet the conditions set forth in this Law and which look after or wish to look after incapacitated or ownerless animals provided that there is no gain or benefit but rather that they are acting from humanitarian and conscientious goals, and also provided that ownership remains with the state.  Suitable facilities can be built on the allocated land with the permission of the related Ministry/Administration. 

           

           

CHAPTER TWO

Interventions in animals

 

            Surgical Interventions

            ARTICLE 7 – Medical and surgical interventions in animals will only be carried out by veterinary doctors.

 

In order to prevent uncontrolled reproduction, sterilisation interventions will be done without causing the animals pain.

 

            Forbidden Interventions

            ARTICLE 8 – All types of interventions that will wipe out a species of animal are forbidden.

 

It is forbidden to removed or destroy all or a part of the organs or tissues of an animal as long as they are alive, unless it is for medical reasons.

 

It is forbidden to undertake surgical interventions aimed at altering the external appearance of domestic pets or other non-medical treatments such as cutting tails and ears, removing vocal cords and removing nails or teeth.  However permission may be granted for these forbidden interventions where a veterinary doctor deems it necessary to make a non-medical intervention for medical reasons related to veterinary procedures or for the good of a particular animal or in order to prevent reproduction.

 

            It is forbidden to give an animal hormones or drugs in a manner or dose that will change the nature of his species or ethology, unless it is for medical purposes, to drug an animal with various substances or to artificially alter the behavioural or physical characteristics specific to an animal species.

 

            Animal Testing

            ARTICLE 9 – Animals cannot be used for non-scientific diagnosis, treatment or experiments.

 

            It is a principle that only medical and scientific experiments can be carried out, these will be performed in such a manner as to protect the animals and the animals to be used in these experiments will be cared for and sheltered in a suitable manner.

 

Where there is no other option, animals can be used for testing in scientific studies.

 

In organisations and institutions which will carry out animal testing, they will be permitted to do so by ethical committees established or to be established by them.

 

            The establishment of these ethic committees and their operating principles and procedures will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry having obtained the opinion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Health and related organisations.

 

The breeding, feeding, shelter and care of test animals, the registration of enterprises who supply and use these, the qualities of the personnel employed, the records to be kept, which kinds of animals can be bred and the principles to be met by operations feeding, supplying and using test animals will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

 

                       

CHAPTER THREE

Trade and Training of Animals

 

            Trade of Animals

            ARTICLE 10- When being sold, the health of animals must be good and their accommodation must be clean and comply with healthy conditions.

The care, feeding and transport of farm animals and arrangements aimed at ensuring their welfare and security during slaughter will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

 

            Arrangements relating to the trade of wild animals will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.

           

Those who produce and trade in domestic pets are obliged to take precautions in relation to necessary anatomic, physiological and behavioural characteristics in order not to endanger the health of the mother and her young.

 

Issues relating to the commercial use of animals in film and advertisements are subject to permission.  The principles and procedures relating to this permission will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry, having obtained the opinion of related organisations.

 

An animal cannot be used in filming, demonstrations, advertisements or similar work in a manner that would cause it pain, suffering or damage.

           

The import and export of test animals is subject to permission.  This permission is issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, having obtained the opinion of the Ministry.

 

            It is forbidden to transfer, sell or receive an animal which is sick, old or lame, or suffering from pain from which it will not recover for any other purpose than to slaughter them according to procedures or to kill them humanely.

           

            Training

            ARTICLE 11- Animals cannot be trained using methods which will cause them to exceed their natural capacity or strength, injure them, cause them unnecessary pain or encourage them to bad habits.

 

It is forbidden to pit animals against other live animals.  Traditional shows with folkloric value which do not involve violence may be organised by obtaining permission from the provincial animal welfare committee, with the approval of the Ministry.

 

           

FOURTH CHAPTER

Slaughter and Killing of Animals and Bans

 

            Slaughter of animals

            ARTICLE 12 – The slaughter of animals will be carried out, taking into account the special conditions required by religious rules, without frightening or startling the animal, in the least painful manner possible, in line with the rules of hygiene and as quickly as possible under the method used.  It will be ensured that licensed persons carry out the slaughter of animals.

 

For those who wish to make a religious sacrifice, the slaughter of animals in as quick and painless a manner as possible in line with religious provisions, hygienic conditions and environmental cleanliness, the slaughter places, the persons who are licensed to slaughter and other related issues will be determined by the Ministry in charge of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, having obtained the opinion of the Ministry and related organisations and institutions.

 

            Killing of animals      

            ARTICLE 13 – It is forbidden to kill animals unless there are legal exceptions or in case of a medical or scientific necessity; and when there is no food purpose or threat to humans or the environment, pregnant, nursing, and birthing animals may not be killed.

 

The person or organisation which is responsible for killing an animal is obliged to dispose of the animal’s corpse after it is ascertained that the animal is indeed dead, or have it disposed of.  The principles and procedures relating to such killing will be determined in a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.

 

            Bans

            ARTICLE 14 – The following actions in relation to animals are banned:

 

a)      To intentionally mistreat animals, to carry out a cruel and unfair action, to beat an animal, leave them hungry or thirsty, to abandon them in extreme heat or cold, to neglect their care or to cause them physical and psychological pain.

 

b) To force an animal to carry out actions that are clearly beyond its strength,

 

c) To sell domestic pets to persons who have not received training in animal care.

 

d) To sell domestic pets to those under 16 years of age.

 

            e)  To interfere with the body of an animal before it is clear that they have definitely died,

 

            f) To slaughter or kill animals other than slaughter animals, hunting animals which are permitted to be hunted or to be produced as slaughter animals in special production farms within the framework of Law no. 4915 and wild animals which are subject to trade, for their meat and to offer this to the market,

 

            g) To distribute animals other than those bred for slaughter as prizes, bonuses or premiums.

 

            h) To make artificial interventions unless for medical necessity or to supply foreign substances which could damage animals or the young contained in their main stomach or their eggs, apart from the production of caviar,

 

            ý) To work animals when they are ill, when 2/3 of their pregnancy is completed or when they have recently given birth, and to shelter them in unsuitable conditions.

 

            j) To have sexual relations with animals or to torture them,

 

            k) To force feed an animal for reasons not related to health, to give an animal food which may cause pain, suffering or damage, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, drugs and similar food or drinks which could cause addiction.

 

             l) To produce, own, bring into the country, sell or advertise, exchange, display or make a present of an animal which constitutes a danger such as a Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, etc,

 

 

 PART THREE

 Management of Animal Welfare

 

CHAPTER ONE

The Organisation, Duties and Responsibilities of Local Animal Welfare Committees

             

Provincial Animal Welfare Committee

ARTICLE 15 – A provincial animal welfare committee will be convened in each province with the Governor as chairperson and for the sole purpose of protecting animals and addressing existing problems and their solutions.

 

These meetings will be attended by;

 

a) In metropolitan municipalities, the metropolitan mayor and the mayors of the districts that come under the metropolitan, and in provinces which are not metropolitans, the mayors,

 

b) Provincial environmental and forestry manager

 

c) Provincial agricultural manager,

 

d) Provincial health manager,

 

e) Provincial education manager,

 

f) Provincial mufti,

 

g) Municipal Manager of Veterinary Services,

 

            h) A faculty representative in places where there are veterinary faculties,

 

ý) At most two representatives of voluntary organisations operating exclusively for the protection of animals and selected with the approval of the Governor.

 

j) A representative of the provincial or regional chamber of veterinary doctors.

 

Where deemed necessary by the Committee Chairperson, representatives from other organisations and institutions related to the subject may be requested to attend.

 

The provincial environment and forestry manager will act as the secretary of the provincial animal welfare committee.  As a result of its efforts the committee will notify the Ministry of its main policies, strategy, implementations and opinions.  If there is an organisation in a province which does not have a representative, the animal welfare committee will consist of the other members.  The committee will meet at the invitation of the committee chairperson.

 

The working principles and procedures of the provincial animal welfare committee will be determined by a regulation issued by the Ministry.

 

            Duties of the provincial animal welfare committee

            ARTICLE 16 – Animal welfare committees, with the exclusive aim of protecting animals, identifying problems and taking decisions for their solution, and keeping in mind the decisions of the Central Hunting Commission relating to the protection of hunting and wild animals and their habitats and the organisation of hunting, are assigned and authorised;

 

            a) To fulfil the duties indicated in this Law as the legal representative of animals for their protection and during their use,

 

            b) To determine the problems relating to the protection of animals within provincial borders, to devise annual, five year and ten year plans and projects including proposed solutions to animal welfare issues, to prepare annual target reports and submit them for approval by the Ministry, to take all types of measures with the aim of protecting animals, with the approval of the Ministry,

 

            c) To ensure the practical application of the programme prepared by it and to inform the Ministry of its results,

 

            d) To supervise, direct and provide the necessary coordination for the animal welfare activities of various persons, organisations and institutions at a provincial level,

 

            e) To support, develop and take the necessary precautions relating to the animal shelters and animal hospitals to be established in the province,

 

            f) To evaluate the applications of local animal welfare volunteers,

 

            g) To organise educational activities relating to the care, protection and sustenance of animals,

 

            j) To fulfil all duties assigned to it under legislation issued according to this Law.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 Supervision and Animal Welfare Volunteers

 

            Supervision

            ARTICLE 17 – The Ministry is authorised to monitor whether the provisions of this Law are being complied with or not.  Where necessary, the Ministry may assign this authority to the highest local authority via a transfer of authority. 

 

            The qualities of supervisory staff and the principles and procedures relating to supervision, the establishment of a registration and monitoring system, reporting obligations and who will report will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.

 

            Local authorities are obliged to make arrangements for the registration of domestic pets and ownerless animals.

 

      Responsibilities of local animal welfare officers 

            ARTICLE 18 – The title local animal welfare officer will be given to volunteers who undertake responsibility for the survival of ownerless animals, in particular cats and dogs, in the environment, areas or neighbourhoods where they are found.  These officers will be selected each year by the provincial animal welfare committee from among the members of animal welfare associations and foundations or persons who have provided beneficial services in this area.  Local animal welfare officers must carry their documents with them while on duty and these documents must be renewed each year.  The documents of persons who are found to have been involved in negative activities will be cancelled.  The principles and procedures relating to the duties and responsibilities of local animal officers, the documents to be provided to them, the cancellation of these documents and the training to be given will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.

 

Local animal welfare officers will carry out all their activities relating to ownerless animals in the region or neighbourhood, in particular dogs and cats, in coordination with the local authorities, to include their care, vaccination, the branding of vaccinated animals and the keeping of related records, sterilisation, the retraining of aggressive animals and their relocation to animal shelters established by the local authorities in order to be claimed by owners.

           

 

CHAPTER THREE

 Support for Animal Welfare

 

            Financial Support

            ARTICLE 19 – Financial support in an amount approved by the Ministry will be provided in particular to local authorities or to other related organisations and institutions for the establishment of animal shelters or hospitals for the protection of domestic pets and the execution of care, rehabilitation, vaccination and sterilisation activities.  The necessary appropriations will be made in the Ministerial budget for this purpose.  The principles and procedures relating to the use of these appropriations will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry having obtained the approval of the Ministry of Finance.

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

Other Provisions

 

            Educational Boardcasts

            ARTICLE 20- In order to promote the protection and welfare of animals, programs aimed at general and formal education should be made and broadcasting time should be reserved for these issues on radio and television programmes.  Both the Turkish Radio and Television Board and the private television channels should reserve at least two hours a month and private radio stations should reserve at least half an hour a month for educational broadcasts.  20% of these broadcasts must take place at peak viewing or listening times.  The Ministry of Education and the Radio and Television High Board are liable for the monitoring of the issues in this article which are related to their area of duty.

 

            Traffic Accidents

            ARTICLE 21 – A driver who hits and harms an animal must take them or ensure that they are taken to the nearest veterinary doctor or treatment unit.

 

            Zoos

            ARTICLE 22 – Management and municipalities are obliged to arrange zoos in a manner suited to natural habitats, or ensure that they are so arranged.  The principles and procedures relating to the establishment and operation of zoos will be determined by a regulation issued by the Ministry having obtained the opinion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

 

            Bans and permissions

            ARTICLE 23 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, having obtained the opinion of the Ministry, is authorised in relation to all types of permission and transactions relating to the trade of domestic pets which come within the scope of this Law, their import and export and their removal from or bringing into the country in any manner whatsoever.  The related units of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will provide the Ministry with information on imports and exports executed during the year.

 

            Taking animals into care

            ARTICLE 24 – Persons who act in breach of the provisions of this Law relating to animal welfare and who in this manner seriously neglect the animals in their care or cause them pain, suffering or damage will be banned from keeping animals by the supervisory authorities and the animals will be seized.  The said animals will be given to new owners or taken into care.

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 Penal Provisions

 

CHAPTER ONE

Authority to impose Administrative Monetary Fines, Fine Payment Period,

Collection and Objections

 

            Authority to impose Administrative Monetary Fines

            ARTICLE 25- The administrative monetary fines set forth in this Law will be imposed by the supervisory authorities indicated in article 17 of this Law.

 

            Objections to Administrative Fines

            ARTICLE 26 – Proceedings against administrative monetary fines can be lodged with the administrative courts within fifteen days of notification of the fine.  The lodging of proceedings does not halt the fulfilment of the fine imposed by the administration.  The decision of the administrative court on this issue is final.

 

            Administrative Monetary Fines Payment Period and Collection

            ARTICLE 27 – The payment period for administrative monetary fines is thirty days from the date of notification of the fine.

 

The monetary fines imposed by the authorised agencies in a receipt printed and distributed by the Ministry will be paid to the highest collection office of the locality.  80% of the money paid will be transferred to the related municipality during the following month.  This money is regarded as allocated and cannot be used for other purposes.  The principles and procedures relating to the format, distribution and control of the receipts to be used for administrative monetary fines imposed under this Law will be determined by a regulation.

 

Monetary fines which are not paid within the specified period will be collected, together with default increases, according to the provisions of Law no. 6183 concerning the Procedure for the Collection of Public Receivables

           

Fines

            ARTICLE 28 – The following fines will be imposed for behaviour in breach of the provisions of this Law:

 

            a) An administrative monetary fine of two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the provision of the second sentence of paragraph (k) of article 4.

 

            b) An administrative monetary fine of fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the provisions of the first, second, third and sixth paragraphs of article 5 by failing to comply with the bans and obligations relating to the ownership and care of animals or failing to take the necessary precautions, and of one hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who fail to comply with the bans and obligations in paragraph 7. 

 

            c) An administrative monetary fine of five hundred million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the first paragraph of article 6.

 

            d) An administrative monetary fine of one hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the provisions relating to surgical interventions set forth in article 7.

 

e) An administrative monetary fine of seven and a half billion Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in a manner that could cause the extinction of an animal species as set forth in the first paragraph of article 8; an administrative monetary fine of one and a half billion Turkish Lira for those who fail to comply with paragraphs two, three and four.

 

            f) An administrative monetary fine of two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who fail to comply with article 9 and the issues contained in the regulations issued; an administrative monetary fine of one billion Turkish Lira per animal for those who carry out unauthorised animal testing.

 

            g) An administrative monetary fine of two billion five hundred million Turkish Lira for those who do not obtain permission for the trade of animals, as specified in article 10, and who do not comply with the related bans and regulatory provisions. 

 

            h) An administrative monetary fine of one billion two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira for those who act in breach of the bans relating to education in the first paragraph of article 11, an administrative monetary fine of one billion two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the second paragraph.

 

            ý) An administrative monetary fine of five hundred million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the first paragraph of article 12; an administrative monetary fine of one billion two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the second paragraph.

 

            j) An administrative monetary fine of five hundred million Turkish Lira per animal killed for those who act in breach of the provisions of article 13; an administrative monetary fine of one billion, two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal killed where the breach is committed by the management.

 

            k) An administrative monetary fine of two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira for those who act in breach of paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g), (h), (ý), (j) and (k) of article 14; an administrative monetary fine of two billion five hundred million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of the paragraphs (f) and (l), and slaughtered and live animals will be seized.

 

            l) Radio and television stations are fined five billion Turkish Lira for violations of Madde 20.

 

            m) An administrative monetary fine of two hundred and fifty million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of article 21.

 

            n) An administrative monetary fine of six hundred million Turkish Lira per animal kept under inappropriate conditions in zoos for those who do not comply with article 22. 

 

            o) An administrative monetary fine of two billion five hundred million Turkish Lira per animal for those who act in breach of article 23.

 

If the actions in paragraphs one, two and five of article 5, as referred to in paragraph (b) of this article, and actions apart from paragraph (n) are carried out by a veterinary doctor, a veterinary health technician, an animal welfare volunteer, a member of an animal welfare association or foundation or persons appointed to round up, supervise, care for or protect animals, the fine to be imposed will be doubled.

 

            The monetary fines set forth in this article will be applied after being increased by the annual revaluation rate identified and announced according to the provisions of article 298 of the Tax Procedures Law no. 213, dated 04.01.1961, and valid from the beginning of that calendar year.

           

PART FIVE

Various, Final and Provisional Provisions

 

CHAPTER ONE

Various Provisions

 

            Breach of more than one provision

            ARTICLE 29- If any of the actions set forth as a crime in this Law are at the same time viewed as crimes under other laws, the legal provision requiring the heaviest punishment will be applied.

 

Those who by their actions breach more than one provision of this Law will be penalised with the heavier punishment.

           

            Repetition of Actions

            ARTICLE 30 – If actions which have been penalised under the provisions of this Law are repeated, the monetary fines to be imposed will be doubled and for further repetitions tripled.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

Final, Provisional Provisions

 

 

            Reserved Provisions

            ARTICLE 31 – The provisions of the Territorial Hunting Law no. 4915, the Animal Health and Police Law no. 3285, the Animal Amendment Law no. 4631 and the Water Products Law no. 1380 are reserved.

 

            PROVISIONAL ARTICLE 1- Of the animals indicated in paragraph (l) of article 14 of this Law, the owners of those who have been brought into the country before this Law came into effect must notify these to animal welfare committees within three months and have them registered, and they must provide documents showing whether they have been sterilised or not to the provincial animal welfare committee within six months.

 

            PROVISIONAL ARTICLE 2- The regulations which are to be issued under this Law will be prepared within a year of the coming into effect of this Law.

 

            Effect

            ARTICLE 32- This Law comes into effect on its date of publication.

 

            Execution

            ARTICLE 33 – The provisions of this Law will be executed by the Council of Ministers.