On the Seminar
"Stray dogs: present and future"
to be held on 3rd of June, 2015 in Iasi, Romania
Picture taken in the old public shelter in CRAIOVA - a Romanian city wanting to become the next 'European Capital of Culture'.
This picture reminds of those from Dachau, Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen.... these cities, too, attracted and still attract a significant number of "tourists".
But none would ever claim such a perversity as being 'cultural'.
To:
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
OIE - World Organisation for Animal Health
International Companion Animal Management Coalition (ICAM)
Carodog / Vier Pfoten
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Some deep concern has been expressed about the absence of a balanced opinion during the FVE General Assembly in Iasi, at which you will have a representative in attendance.
As you are aware, there is some criticism of the Romanian Government about the introduction and conduct of Law 258/2013. This criticism comes from diverse European countries and has been endorsed by Members of the European Parliament as well as by their Intergroup on Animal Welfare after visiting Romania.
Given that no representative of any group challenging the Romanian government's practice will be present at the conference to be held on 3rd of June, 2015 in Iasi, Romania - and in the interests of fairness and justice - we would like to inform you that a significant research program is currently taking place to compile one of the largest bodies of information ever created on the Romanian stray animals issue.
Included will be:
- an evaluation of the comparative costs of implementing the present animal control policy as opposed to a national spay & neuter program;
- the impact on zoonoses;
- effects on children's mental health;
- impact on society;
- compliance with international guidelines and shelter activity compliance
We trust that both yourselves and your supporters will be eager to receive a copy which will also be selectively and widely distributed on the internet.
June 2, 2015
- Occupy for Animals -
Official statement by Claudiu Dumitriu and Codrut Feher,
Co-Founders of 'Combaterea Abuzurilor'
With regret, we inform you that the seminar "Stray dog: present and future" organized by F.V.E. (Iaşi, June 3, 2013 – in the opening of F.V.E.’s general congress) is about to be compromised and even misappropriated by the organizers, whose fundamental agenda is to convince you that the abject industry of stray dog "management" in Romania is actually a “successful project".
They want you to believe that the cruel and thoughtless law enabling the mass killing of stray dogs is a legal "masterpiece", and that within the “community of experts", this project did not generate tensions, nor disagreements, but only consensus, optimism, and "rounds of applause" (from this point of view, I see no difference between the spirit of said seminar and the propagandistic display of forged abundance in a North Korean grocery store – in both cases the aim is to replace reality with fiction, and truth with falsehood).
In their attempt to misinform you and conceal the grim reality behind the cynical and onerous stray dog management in Romania, F.V.E. and the College of Veterinarians of Romania have developed a strategy of deceit. Namely:
Thus, under the pretext of a so-called “indisputable professional authority” of the veterinary leaders (in this area), F.V.E. is preparing to abusively claim the power of issuing ultimate verdicts on "the situation of stray dogs in Romania" and to submit irrevocable pronouncements which will offer legitimacy to the official lies of A.N.S.V.S.A. and C. M. V. Ro.
The seminar is about to turn into an elaborated charade consisting of seemingly “scientific” presentations in conjunction with (otherwise valid) discussions and arguments, completely unrelated to the grim reality in the field.
This charade is supposed to hide the ineffective strategies of the Romanian authorities, the bad laws, filthy cruelties and profits realized from the suffering animals. It seems more like a play taken from the arsenal of totalitarian ideology and propaganda meant to falsify reality and presenting the forged reality with an aura of “undisputable” truth.
Consequently, F. V. E. leadership’s lack of transparency and fairness is only a pitiable attempt to protect C. M. V. Ro. management’s idiosyncrasies (and in particular the sensitivities of Liviu Harbuz , the “grey eminence” of all veterinary institutions and organizations in Romania) in order to divert your attention from the following grave issues:
The conclusion we can draw is, unfortunately, a sad one. Democratic values, especially the right of opinion and non-discrimination, are trampled upon by the leadership of F.V.E. which, for the sake of their Romanian partners, prefers sticking with their “rosy” lies instead of addressing the inconvenient truth, thus the idea of organizing such a “relaxed” meeting, without any substantial debates.
I had hoped – perhaps naively – that the integration in F.V.E. would dispel C. N. M. V. Ro’s backward outlook. Unfortunately it happened the other way around: not only F.V.E. failed of getting C. N. M. V. Ro to give up its arbitrary, discriminatory and undemocratic practices, but even worse, it became “contaminated” itself of said practices, enhancing them in a most regrettable manner.
June 2, 2015
- Claudiu Dumitriu - - Codrut Feher -
They want you to believe that the cruel and thoughtless law enabling the mass killing of stray dogs is a legal "masterpiece", and that within the “community of experts", this project did not generate tensions, nor disagreements, but only consensus, optimism, and "rounds of applause" (from this point of view, I see no difference between the spirit of said seminar and the propagandistic display of forged abundance in a North Korean grocery store – in both cases the aim is to replace reality with fiction, and truth with falsehood).
In their attempt to misinform you and conceal the grim reality behind the cynical and onerous stray dog management in Romania, F.V.E. and the College of Veterinarians of Romania have developed a strategy of deceit. Namely:
- The Congress was organized in a stronghold of the ruling party - Iaşi - enabled with a fairly acceptable dog shelter that did not qualify outright as a as a ghastly killing place (unlike the extermination shelters in Bucharest, where protests of animal activists abound – in which case you will be in an imminent “risk” of seeing the grim reality of dog killings);
- The organizers kept secret the organization of the seminar (never made public);
- The organizers engulfed the participants into massive, bureaucratic piles of reports and statistics (mixing valid relevant recommendations and guidelines of the OIE with “rosy” and falsified data about the dog management situation in Romania);
- The organizers invited only representatives of non-governmental organizations that were government-friendly and "verified" (i.e., known for their uncritical position and obedience of authority);
- Last but not least, the organizers absolutely prohibited the participation of troublesome activists such as Claudiu Dumitru (Vice-President of the National Federation for the Protection of Animals, and president of the Alliance against Abuses, which repeatedly denounced animal cruelty together with Romanian authorities' corruption and complicity with the perpetrators of said cruelties) under the absurd pretext that his participation and the painful truths expected to be shared by him, would create a "strain" among the participants (clearly the organizers preferred to rather “entertain” the participants with “relaxing lies”).
Thus, under the pretext of a so-called “indisputable professional authority” of the veterinary leaders (in this area), F.V.E. is preparing to abusively claim the power of issuing ultimate verdicts on "the situation of stray dogs in Romania" and to submit irrevocable pronouncements which will offer legitimacy to the official lies of A.N.S.V.S.A. and C. M. V. Ro.
The seminar is about to turn into an elaborated charade consisting of seemingly “scientific” presentations in conjunction with (otherwise valid) discussions and arguments, completely unrelated to the grim reality in the field.
This charade is supposed to hide the ineffective strategies of the Romanian authorities, the bad laws, filthy cruelties and profits realized from the suffering animals. It seems more like a play taken from the arsenal of totalitarian ideology and propaganda meant to falsify reality and presenting the forged reality with an aura of “undisputable” truth.
Consequently, F. V. E. leadership’s lack of transparency and fairness is only a pitiable attempt to protect C. M. V. Ro. management’s idiosyncrasies (and in particular the sensitivities of Liviu Harbuz , the “grey eminence” of all veterinary institutions and organizations in Romania) in order to divert your attention from the following grave issues:
- The horrendous cruelties suffered by stray dogs in Romania. Indeed, the sinister treatment of these animals is already well known throughout Europe. The fact that animals are strangled or injured during capture, that they are kept hungry, thirsty, without any medical attention, and allowed to kill each other in pestilential shelters was brought to the F.V.E. management’s attention by Mr. Claudiu Dumitriu himself. However, instead of taking corrective measures or even issuing strong statements acknowledging a state of fact, the F.V.E. management preferred to snub and ostracize the one who made the disclosures.
- A.N.S.V.S.A.’s indolence and even complicity with perpetrators of animal cruelties. Cynically, "the situation of stray dogs in Romania" is presented in the seminar by Adina Ciurea on behalf of A.N.S.V.S.A., a public institution which, even if on paper should be responsible with the enforcement of animal protection, in practice displays an unparalleled contempt towards animal welfare in Romania (For more than 10 years A.N.S.V.S.A. is the traditional accomplice of those who commit cruelty towards animals, especially against stray dogs, by systematically refusing to apply the sanctions mandated by law).
- The cynicism and opportunism of C. N. M. V. Ro’s management. Clearly, the College of Veterinarians of Romania is only interested in the profit they can make as a result of their “stray dog management”, and organized this seminar especially to promote and protect their business interest as recipients of the fees paid by dog owners to include their pets in the Registry of Evidence for Owned Dogs (Registrul de Evidenţă al Cîinilor cu Stăpân - R.E.C.S.), managed by C. N. M. V. Ro. (For this purpose, C. N. M. V. Ro. took over, against all customs, R.E.C.S.’s administration, seizing the process of creating and maintaining the electronic register, without any auction and for an enormous sum, at the same time dismissing a collaboration proposal from the Taso Foundation which offered the electronic platforms and servers they hold for free. Also, in a clear display of contempt, C. N. M. V. Ro. blocked and sabotaged the donations of microchips as well as the offers for free identification of dogs made by prestigious European NGOs alongside with the Taso Foundation. Obviously, C. N. M. V. Ro. did not want to lose any penny from the taxes paid to the veterinarians for the R.E.C.S. identification – a process that they controlled).
- Inconsistency and precariousness of the law. Against the eulogies formulated by the government and first of all by Mr. Liviu Harbuz – morally responsible for the law adopted in September 2013, the “killing law” is, for all practical purposes, a juridical calamity in both form and content. Leaving aside the technical faults, the unclear and confusing wording that undermines its predictability, the law is sabotaging the adoptions, allows for dog catcher abuses and violation of private property, discriminates against dog owners, and allows for precarious conditions for dogs, and runs against their welfare (especially the freedom of movement). Moreover, due to a proposal made by C. N. M. V. Ro themselves (with the clear intent of “stimulating” dog identification, thus maximizing its profits), the law contains the aberrant provision conditioning the rabies vaccine for dogs with owner on their previous identification through R.E.C.S., i.e., C. N. M. V. - Ro’s money making machine. This stipulation, going against the constitutional rights of the Romanian citizens and against a healthy environment, led (for the first time in 41 years) to the absurd and dangerous situation of having millions of dogs unvaccinated!
- The compromises made by W.S.P.A. and other “government-selected” NGOs with respect to animal cruelty complaints. The W.S.P.A. gave up any criticism, while other activists urged not to make complaints against Romanian dog catchers engaged in cruelty against animals. Moreover, W.S.P.A. praised the Management Act (obviously without bothering to look for details). The price of this compromise is a dubious partnership with A.N.S.V.S.A. and C. N. M. V. Ro allowing the organization to castrate dogs or make free education programs in a mandatory cooperation with the authorities (unfortunately, many large associations have started to make such compromises , opportunistically assuming that the collaboration with the Romanian government will enhance their image and provide funds for themselves, figuring that they would have more to gain from collaborating uncritically with the authorities rather than openly criticizing the perpetrators of animal cruelty and their governmental enablers).
The conclusion we can draw is, unfortunately, a sad one. Democratic values, especially the right of opinion and non-discrimination, are trampled upon by the leadership of F.V.E. which, for the sake of their Romanian partners, prefers sticking with their “rosy” lies instead of addressing the inconvenient truth, thus the idea of organizing such a “relaxed” meeting, without any substantial debates.
I had hoped – perhaps naively – that the integration in F.V.E. would dispel C. N. M. V. Ro’s backward outlook. Unfortunately it happened the other way around: not only F.V.E. failed of getting C. N. M. V. Ro to give up its arbitrary, discriminatory and undemocratic practices, but even worse, it became “contaminated” itself of said practices, enhancing them in a most regrettable manner.
June 2, 2015
- Claudiu Dumitriu - - Codrut Feher -
Our letter from 28th of May, 2015
to Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission,
regarding Romania's homeless dogs and the current debates on a New Law
proposed by Remus Cernea
Statement by
Vier Pfoten European Policy Office
(Received by email on June 3, 2015)
CARO PLATFORM REPRESENTED AT FVE’S SEMINAR ON STRAY DOGS IN ROMANIA
We received some concerns regarding CARO’s presence at the seminar on stray dogs, organised in Romania on June 3rd along the General Assembly of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe.
Both the CARO platform and International welfare organisation FOUR PAWS promote a “no kill” approach concerning the management of the stray animals and have a unique expertise concerning dog population management in Europe. The representative of FOUR PAWS at this conference, also representing the CARO platforms will continue to promote this “no kill” approach and to fight any strategy consisting in using the killing of healthy stray dogs as a dog population management method.
June 3, 2015
Sophie Duthoit
We received some concerns regarding CARO’s presence at the seminar on stray dogs, organised in Romania on June 3rd along the General Assembly of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe.
Both the CARO platform and International welfare organisation FOUR PAWS promote a “no kill” approach concerning the management of the stray animals and have a unique expertise concerning dog population management in Europe. The representative of FOUR PAWS at this conference, also representing the CARO platforms will continue to promote this “no kill” approach and to fight any strategy consisting in using the killing of healthy stray dogs as a dog population management method.
June 3, 2015
Sophie Duthoit
Statement by
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE)
(Posted on their Facebook page on 3rd of June, 2015)
Many comments are made and discussions are ongoing on our Facebook page in respect to stray dog situation.
The reason is that FVE today organises a seminar on stray dogs in Iasi, Romania. The aim of this seminar is to discuss transparently with all actors involved the best ways of making the life of stray dogs better. The conference is attended by more than +120 persons. In addition to many vets, many animal welfare NGO's are sitting is the room, including Mr. Dumitrui. All participants contribute to the constructive debate ongoing in this room. Euthanasia is one of the topics discussed, amongst many other important issues. All presentations will be put on the FVE website next week.
FVE please asks all making comments to stay respectful. Only by working in a respectful and constructive way together we can make progress and make life better for animals.
Please also have a look at the recently adopted FVE paper in respect to stray dog population management.
The reason is that FVE today organises a seminar on stray dogs in Iasi, Romania. The aim of this seminar is to discuss transparently with all actors involved the best ways of making the life of stray dogs better. The conference is attended by more than +120 persons. In addition to many vets, many animal welfare NGO's are sitting is the room, including Mr. Dumitrui. All participants contribute to the constructive debate ongoing in this room. Euthanasia is one of the topics discussed, amongst many other important issues. All presentations will be put on the FVE website next week.
FVE please asks all making comments to stay respectful. Only by working in a respectful and constructive way together we can make progress and make life better for animals.
Please also have a look at the recently adopted FVE paper in respect to stray dog population management.