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The unspectacular truth of what happened in Craiova
BEFORE the picture was taken showing the bloodstained floors
On 4th of February, 2014, a volunteer who went to the Breasta public shelter in Craiova to feed the dogs, found himself standing in front of a paddock with bloodstained floors. Without adding any further comment to it, he posted the pictures which he had taken to Facebook...
Although there was no victim to be seen in the pictures... although all other dogs in the other paddocks looked quite "okay"... although the shelter workers made no attempts to hide that they where cleaning blood from the floors when the volunteer arrived and took pictures... but judging by the "enormous quantity of blood on the floor" (water and blood, actually) as seen on the pictures, and compounded by the fact that the volunteers had no access to the shelter during the last three days, the Facebook-crowd concluded that something horrible must have happened. That dogs MUST have been killed there - in this one paddock - in the most gruesome of ways... that they MUST have been murderously eliminated with just the sheer, physical force of brutality.
It must have been so!
In no time, most social networking outlets have been inundated with pictures of shelter staff cleaning blood away... OFA got bombarded with requests to help uncovering the "obvious" massacre, and/or to spread the word!
But in order to do so, we must understand what happened. We must get to the bottom of it - which actually everyone should do before making conclusions.
Our team spoke to the volunteers and it turned out that no-one had seen or heard anything. Just like they had said in their FB-posts, they had found the paddock like that. Empty, with blood on the floor...
Another volunteer later stated that the shelter manager, Jean Buzatu, had admitted that hundreds of dogs have been euthanized on the mayoress' order - this could also be read in the local news. Another FB-user posted that "in that "shelter" were 600 dogs, and that now there were only 200 - at most!"
Although the municipality has later admitted to having euthanized a few hundreds of animals, there is no proof that this has any connection with the blood found in the single paddock. In fact, the amount of blood would not be consistent with the killing of hundreds of animals. However a connection was made in the minds of many, that these were connected.
It must have been so!
In no time, most social networking outlets have been inundated with pictures of shelter staff cleaning blood away... OFA got bombarded with requests to help uncovering the "obvious" massacre, and/or to spread the word!
But in order to do so, we must understand what happened. We must get to the bottom of it - which actually everyone should do before making conclusions.
Our team spoke to the volunteers and it turned out that no-one had seen or heard anything. Just like they had said in their FB-posts, they had found the paddock like that. Empty, with blood on the floor...
Another volunteer later stated that the shelter manager, Jean Buzatu, had admitted that hundreds of dogs have been euthanized on the mayoress' order - this could also be read in the local news. Another FB-user posted that "in that "shelter" were 600 dogs, and that now there were only 200 - at most!"
Although the municipality has later admitted to having euthanized a few hundreds of animals, there is no proof that this has any connection with the blood found in the single paddock. In fact, the amount of blood would not be consistent with the killing of hundreds of animals. However a connection was made in the minds of many, that these were connected.
The municipality have admitted to having euthanized
a "few hundred animals during the night"
About the interview (previous video):
So euthanasia took place, as announced officially by the representative of the City Hall from Craiova, who was the first person interviewed (the man). He says that the reason why dogs were euthanized is that there has to be place available for the dogs adopted at distance and the shelter was above capacity.
Animal protection association and the Veterinarian and Public Safety Direction Dolj (regional) did not announce that euthanasia took place, although according to the same law, this Direction has to assist with the cremation of the dead bodies to make sure that it respects the norms for public safety.
The reporter asked him how many dogs were euthanized and he said: "a few hundreds".
The Veterinary Direction also mentioned that they could guess that the dogs were euthanized because the food consumption decreased. Their representative (the woman in the interview) says that, in general, they distribute 28 sacks of food, but the lady says that "yesterday only 8 sacks of food were consumed".
As regards to the blood found there, the Animal Protection associations from Craiova have declared that it came from a fight between dogs because the dogs are not well supervised. Interestingly, the City Hall representative says that the blood actually came from a dog whose leg got stuck in the fence of the cage and that the dog is out of danger now and received medical care.
Below, the picture showing one of the dogs who had a fight.
The volunteer who had posted the picture with the bloodstained floor on FB, later said:
"These are the pictures I took on Tuesday, February 4 of two adjacent kennels on paddock 2, kennels 13 and 14. Judging by the fact that the blood was fresh at that time (it was around noon, just before the feeding program) so the incident must have happened not long before.
I definitely do not believe that they are a proof of violent killing. Based on what we found out so far the mass killing took place on Sunday January 26 and on Sunday February 2, by night.
By Tuesday all traces would have disappeared. I supposed that two dogs must have had a fight because the brown dog in the back had blood on his tail and back legs... but I realize that I was wrong and that the official explanation could be true in this instance, that most likely the brown dog caught his claw in the fence and broke it. I am fully aware that what I say sounds like a cover up, and I have no intention of such thing.
It is only neccessary to distinguish between the real modus operandi of the shelter people (by night, no traces left, nobody talks anything) and this bloody incident (whatever it was) in full daylight. Don't think they are so stupid."
In summation...
A "few hundreds of dogs" (according to the city hall of Craiova) have been killed during the nights of Sunday, 26th of January and February, 2nd of February, 2014. The municipality says that they have been "euthanized" and there exists NO proof supporting a different version.
There is no proof that the bloodstained floor in the paddock, as photographed by the volunteer on 4th of February, 2014 has any connection with the killing of the "few hundreds of dogs". At the contrary: it seems far more likely that the blood on the floor resulted from a fight between dogs.
We will update this page as soon as new details come to light...
There is no proof that the bloodstained floor in the paddock, as photographed by the volunteer on 4th of February, 2014 has any connection with the killing of the "few hundreds of dogs". At the contrary: it seems far more likely that the blood on the floor resulted from a fight between dogs.
We will update this page as soon as new details come to light...
Craiova - The European Capital of Canine Cruelty
The shelter has been plagued with numereous scandals which can even be read in the 'Huffington Post' who wrote that this has led to public uproar. And that twenty-three thousand people signed a detailed petition. The petition outlines the clash between animal rights campaigners and the Mayoress of Craiova. NGOs (including Speranta) were forced to apply to the courts to obtain the right to feed the dogs at public shelter at NGO expense. They won this application in 2013.
It is clear that the Mayoress does have an unhealthy vendetta against the dogs in her area, and her protestations to the contrary were not convincing anyone. Given her reign has been plagued with some serious scandals, each of us should question her decision-making skills in relation to the helpless and vulnerable, continues the same article, mentioning also OFA's article Sleepless in Craiova which outlines the disgraceful, if not evil acts of the local officials in assassinating dogs in the cruellest manner possible.
"This website demonstrates the acts of neglect performed upon vulnerable animals. It shows botched operations and bleeding dogs. Shocking images of emaciated/skeletal animals demonstrates the extent of neglect. Blood smeared post- operatively is the handy-work of a man who refers to himself as a "vet". Despite all this being in the public domain, no one has acted to effect accountability. The Romanian authorities governing local vets appear to have turned a blind eye to the shocking evidence.
The Mayoress of Craiova has continued to ignore pleas from animal rights campaigners. The tax payer expects empathy, fairness and justice. If she cannot deliver these three qualities to all creatures great and small, it is time for her to leave office.
Any tourist visiting should remember the haunting screams, the cries for help and the eventual cruel demise of these defenseless creatures. This is the dark secret of Craiova - The European Capital of Canine Cruelty."
It is clear that the Mayoress does have an unhealthy vendetta against the dogs in her area, and her protestations to the contrary were not convincing anyone. Given her reign has been plagued with some serious scandals, each of us should question her decision-making skills in relation to the helpless and vulnerable, continues the same article, mentioning also OFA's article Sleepless in Craiova which outlines the disgraceful, if not evil acts of the local officials in assassinating dogs in the cruellest manner possible.
"This website demonstrates the acts of neglect performed upon vulnerable animals. It shows botched operations and bleeding dogs. Shocking images of emaciated/skeletal animals demonstrates the extent of neglect. Blood smeared post- operatively is the handy-work of a man who refers to himself as a "vet". Despite all this being in the public domain, no one has acted to effect accountability. The Romanian authorities governing local vets appear to have turned a blind eye to the shocking evidence.
The Mayoress of Craiova has continued to ignore pleas from animal rights campaigners. The tax payer expects empathy, fairness and justice. If she cannot deliver these three qualities to all creatures great and small, it is time for her to leave office.
Any tourist visiting should remember the haunting screams, the cries for help and the eventual cruel demise of these defenseless creatures. This is the dark secret of Craiova - The European Capital of Canine Cruelty."
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple”
said Oscar Wilde
Although there has recently been - by western definition and compassion - a massacre in the shelter in Craiova, it is, according to Romanian law, not illegal to kill hundreds of unwanted dogs in one night. Complexity exists because of the ill-considered introduction of these laws which have created a legal conundrum with laws contradicting each other but until challenged and clarified the reality is that euthanasia after 14 days is legal.
Bloodstains in a single paddock does not constitute evidence of a crime. There is no proof to support the fact that a crime was committed in the paddock with the bloodstained floor. The Mayoress gave the order to kill a few hundreds of stray dogs but it is her duty to provide orders for each dog to be euthanized according to the Norms.
According to Law 258/2013, killing unwanted dogs - gentle ones, pregnant bitches, puppies, sterilized ones, socialized ones, and the community dogs who have never hurt anyone - is no longer a crime in Romania. But consigning the dogs - the weakest of society, those who are simply symptomatic of a broken society that has no clue and no concern about responsible animal ownership - to a painfully grotesque death or allowing them to simply to die prematurely through starvation in a public shelter in Craiova, a city dreaming of becoming a EUROPEAN Capital of Culture, is still a crime!
Please sign OFA's petition to the mayoress of Craiova, telling her that unless the horrors emanating from the local shelter are addressed in compliance with the Conventions and standards of the rest of Europe, one can only caution against a dream becoming an illusion... until the morning of awareness dawns and it was realized that it was... just a delusion! An empty derisory, delusion! And one which assuredly will continue to be represented as such to all who consider that Craiova may be considered either a worthy candidate for the European Capital of Culture award or a desirable place for tourist exposure to a morally bankrupt form of 'culture'.
Thank you, in advance!