Save the Botosani-dogs!
Ovidiu Portariuc, the mayor of Botosani has hired SC Puppy Vet SRL - known for having killed thousands of stray dogs - and wants to send the city's stray dogs to Constanta, on a dubious 'pilot project'
To anyone who is a little familiar with the stray animals issue and the related corrupted business in Romania, the above sentence alone, containing the words - 'Botosani', 'Puppy Vet', 'Constanta' and 'pilot project' - should be enough to make his/her alarm bells ring and to know that there is something fishy going on.
And the alarm bells rang loud when representatives of the animal protection association ADOR, located in Botosani, had been informed on 19th of November, 2012 that Romans, driving a van registered in Constanta would be catching dogs in the city and when the van was stopped by Police hours later, it came to light that these people were employees of SC Puppy Vet SRL, formerly Alfmob, a company known for having killed thousands of dogs in Constanta in the past.
Introduction
About BOTOSANI:
Botosani made national in international headlines on 11th of May, 2011, when the vet Cristian Petru Pancu, assisted by his drunken helpers, "managed" to kill 230 healthy dogs in 2 hours time.
Make no mistake because the above sentence contains the word 'vet': these dogs had not been euthanized by injection; these 220 healthy dogs had been slaughtered!
The volunteers who until then had fed the dogs at the municipal shelter every day, discovered them in the morning, in plastic bags, with blood everywhere.
Botosani made national in international headlines on 11th of May, 2011, when the vet Cristian Petru Pancu, assisted by his drunken helpers, "managed" to kill 230 healthy dogs in 2 hours time.
Make no mistake because the above sentence contains the word 'vet': these dogs had not been euthanized by injection; these 220 healthy dogs had been slaughtered!
The volunteers who until then had fed the dogs at the municipal shelter every day, discovered them in the morning, in plastic bags, with blood everywhere.
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The vet who was responsible for the killing of the 220 dogs was later accused of intentional murder and another 15 people had been surveyed. The police doubted that he managed to make lethal injections to 220 dogs in two hours. "For an injection is needed ten minutes. The doctor therefore needed 2200 minutes ..."
cnews.ro later wrote that the massacre of Botosani was perhaps a 'pilot project' and that certain political forces had hoped to pass a law through parliament that allows the killing of shelter animals and that they wanted to see how society would react after application of the 'final solution'.
About CONSTANTA:
Three months were needed of waiting and investigations so that Save the Dogs could show in July 2010, what everyone knew for a very long time: the public dog pound in Constanza, managed by the company Alfmob srl, is nothing more than a big slaughterhouse for stray dogs.
The video evidence (see next video) shows how stray dogs have been caught and killed since Cernavoda City Hall has made a contract with Alf Mob, the company managing the Bio Baza killing pound in Constanta. The footage had been given to the police to support the complaint made by Save the Dogs at the police. Most of the dogs caught and killed had been previously neutered and vaccinated by Save the Dogs, during an 8 years period of time.
In the video, one can also see the captures in Cernavoda, the prohibited hygienic conditions in the Costanza dog pound and the large pincers (banned by the Romanian law – like the killing of healthy animals) used to seize the poor animals.
The images clearly show healthy animals injected in the thorax by someone looking like a veterinarian, placed in line on the ground, dead and in a plastic bag. The bodies are then transported to an incinerator in a nearby region, an incinerator financed with European funds.
Save the Dogs had sent a series of images to all the major Romanian television stations and the press, as well, the members of the local council of Cernavoda, asking to immediately interrupt their contract with Alfmob. Moreover, a legal action as been undertaken against the company and the vet who undertook the killings.
Below, the press release issued by Save the Dogs...
About SC Puppy Vet SRL:
SC Puppy Vet srl was formerly Alfmob srl, the company working for the Constanta municipality that operates the Bio Baza killing pound in Constanta and that was responsible for the catching of the dogs and the illegal killing of the dogs as documented by Save the Dogs in July 2010. Accomplice in the murder of these innocent, healthy dogs were the veterinarian, Dr Ciprian Pop, employe at UNIVET CONSTANTA owned by Dr Adrian Bilba, as well as the mayors of Constanta and Cernavoda.
Puppy Vet / Alfmob is paid by the Constanta municipality, who's mayor is Radu Ştefan Mazăre, for:
- the catching of the dogs
- the housing and supposedly feeding of the dogs
- the veterinary treatments such as vaccination and sterilization
- the euthanasia
- the cremation of the deceased animals
For every 'move' that a dog makes in the killing pound of Constanta, SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) receives money from the Constanta municipality, but, of course, they are paying themselves, since the firm belongs to the friends and associates of the mayor.
A message received December 6, 2012 from Carmen Arsene (FNPA):
Some of the stray dogs extermination camps operating in Romania are already known. But the business behind them is not fully known.
"Puppy Vet" from CONSTANTA is just one example.
The dog shelter managed by this company, which I saw just a little while ago and we came in as "visitors willing to adopt" (because as official for sure we could not go or see the reality), is in fact a camp where animals die slowly of hunger, thirst and lack of veterinary care.
When you enter the so-called dog shelter in Constanta , you feel that there might even be a real dog shelter but beyond the other iron gate is the cruel reality.
In a box a body of a puppy hanging by a fence eye, in an attempt to escape he remained stuck, we do not know for how long, for anyone from the shelter did not matter.The skeletal dogs, some who could no longer stand, which had no power even to bark. Recipients with water so green that only deduce there is water inside.
In other pen a dog was lying. The catchers said he was brought a day ago, accidented [hit] by car. But the condition in which it was, proved that he had at least few days lying in that box. The lower body was full of worms. A bone seemed to be out through the skin. Sometimes he lifts his head in a desperate trying to get where the worms swarm and ate him alive but his head fall back helplessly. We did not have the right to take him!
Behind him some cadavres [corpses] were laying and others in adjacent box.
Below, the pictures that Carmen had added to her mail - please click to enlarge.
I called the Police, the women from the office fled the scene, and the Police was not allowed to enter the shelter !
The next day, all dogs that could constitute evidence of cruelty in Puppy Vet camp gone, it certainly killed during the night. We followed the usual path, complaints to the police and to the Sanitary Veterinary Institute (DSVSA) were we detailed presented all illegalities found. DSVSA response, that comprised a lot of stupid information just fill two pages, was ending with the classic formula "the conclusion of control made is that it is complied the animal welfare legislation".
Later, we meet again “Puppy Vet”, 600 km from Constanta , in Botosani where they caught 80 dogs and transport in a van over each other and go to Constanta . The local animal welfare association of Botosani manages to follow and then to stop the van by the police. Dogs have been returned in Botosani.
We find there is a contract by which Puppy Vet has sponsored Botosani city hall and also Puppy Vet promises "help" to the Botosani cityhall by capturing 1000 from Botosani and being taken to Constanta.
We also find out that City Hall Constanta signed a contract (no. 15538/2012) with “Puppy Vet” by what Puppy Vet receives 1,250,000 Euro (incl.VAT) for stray dogs management in Constanta!!!
Same story we also meet in SLATINA, where shelter was managed by the municipality, then by the “Olcon Metal”, and after revelations of huge amounts reimbursed by the municipality to this company, the cityhall closes the "mouth" of the press, cancelling the contract with “Olcon Metal” and sign another contract with “Iberia Velvet” but having the same shareholders, meaning actually the same firm but with other name!
In the shelter of Slatina in some boxes there are a piece of broken plastic container where on the bottom you can see only some muddy. The other boxes there is not even a recipient so no water. Skeletal dogs were approchead the fence when from a bag we throw some dry food. But they can not take a grain because they are too weak.
In the court of the dog shelter (that has at the entrance an announcement "Private Property") is imposing a villa, newly built, with veranda, rooms on the ground floor and first floor.
Almost never the head of the companies that manage the dog shelter in Slatina is in town; he spends his time at spa or in Istanbul or wherever money got by "managing" stray dogs takes him.
Only the huge discrepancy between the amounts allocated for management of dogs and the terrifying images after the gates of these places of horror where dogs are either killed or die from starvation, lack of water, veterinary care, would be sufficient to prove corruption and financial interests.
National Federation for Animal Protection - FNPA is currently preparing materials for instituting criminal proceedings against Puppy Vet, cityhall Slatina, Olcon Metal , Iberia Velvet.
About mafia industry built on stray dogs I talked within a reportage made by a team of national television ARD in Germany , under these cases: Botosani, Constanta , Slatina. The reportage will be broadcast on Saturday, December 8, 4:30 PM (German time) on ARD "Das Erste", Germany and also it can be viewed later at: http://www.daserste.de/information/politik-weltgeschehen/europamagazin/index.html
What happened on 19th of November, 2012...
On Monday, 19 November 2012, members of the animal protection organisation, ADOR, located in Botosani, had been called by several people who reported having seen as two vans slowly drove through the streets of Botosani and collected all dogs that they could find. They did not only catch straying dogs, but also owned dogs, stolen out of their family's garden, and small puppies who were separated from their mothers. Also dogs that had been sterilized by Ador, recognizable by their green round mark in the ear, had been brutally captured and thrown in the back of the vans.
ADOR reacted immediately and followed one of the vans that was heading in direction of Constanta, which is located 579 kms away from Botosani.
ADOR also informed the police, but received no support. But thanks to ADOR's many supporters from around the world, the message spread like wildfire over Facebook and after animals lovers from many different countries informed the authorities, and the Romanian media, the police finally stopped the van, after all.
More or less 70 dogs were packed in the van; one on top of each other - old and sick ones as well as puppies, sterilized dogs recognizable at the ear marks and owned dogs recognizable at their collars - all packed together, huddling fearfully together in the far too small cargo space of the van, which had been converted into one large cage.
The poor dogs were scared and exhausted, fearing for their lives because they had been left without food and water, and had not enough air to breathe, for several hours driving.
ADOR reacted immediately and followed one of the vans that was heading in direction of Constanta, which is located 579 kms away from Botosani.
ADOR also informed the police, but received no support. But thanks to ADOR's many supporters from around the world, the message spread like wildfire over Facebook and after animals lovers from many different countries informed the authorities, and the Romanian media, the police finally stopped the van, after all.
More or less 70 dogs were packed in the van; one on top of each other - old and sick ones as well as puppies, sterilized dogs recognizable at the ear marks and owned dogs recognizable at their collars - all packed together, huddling fearfully together in the far too small cargo space of the van, which had been converted into one large cage.
The poor dogs were scared and exhausted, fearing for their lives because they had been left without food and water, and had not enough air to breathe, for several hours driving.
The driver of the van explained that they had received order to catch dogs in Botosani and to bring them to the shelter in Constanta.
After long discussions and negotiations, the van was sent back to Botosani and the dogs brought to the local public shelter, that was already hopelessly overcrowded. This shelter is known by locals and animal activists as a 'death camp'.
According to ADOR, 150 to 200 dogs a month are caught in the streets of Botosani and 100 to 130 of them die there, in this so called 'shelter', run by the Botosani municipality.
From June 2011 to October 2011, 537 dogs had been brought to the public shelter, of these 350 died of 'natural causes'.
'Natural causes' is how they call it when dogs freeze to death, or when they die of injuries and/or illnesses left without veterinary care.
ADOR tried desperately to prevent that the animals would be brought there. It even came to clashes between the animal rights activists, the workers of the shelter, the police and the dog catchers. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt... Unfortunately, they could not prevent the disaster: the dogs were brought in and locked up in the public dog pound.
The Mayor of Botosani, Ovidiu Portariuc, later claimed this to be a pilot project and that the dog hunting company from Constanta, named SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), has received order from the municipality to catch dogs, to bring them out of the city, to Constanta (579 kms away), to house them in the local public shelter of Constanta and to find homes for them.
But, this plan is not showing the true motivation of the mayor's actions!
To make a good impression, to look like a nice guy in front of the locals and the media, the mayor said that he was open to discuss another solution to the stray dogs issue, and that ADOR should present him a better solution within one week, or he would resume his 'pilot project' and the dogs would be brought to Constanta as planned and that he would not accept any 'fantasy proposals'.
In a public announcement, the mayor later proclaimed that he is not interested in what ADOR thinks nor wants. That it was not ADOR who had elected him, but the citizens and that he will maintain the contract concluded with Constanta, that the dog catchers would come back to collect the dogs and bring them to Constanta - not to be killed, but to be adopted.
How on earth is ADOR supposed to find a 'solution' for the 70 dogs cramped in the vans, and the other 1,000 dogs that are estimated to live in the city of Botosani within one week?
The mayor knows that this is a 'mission impossible'; that ADOR, nor any other organisation, can't find homes for more than thousand dogs in one week.
He knows it, and he is not interested in seeing the dogs go any where else than in his 'pilot project' of which they will never walk out again, because he has made a dubious deal with Puppy Vet srl, and probably also with the mayor of Constanta, who is in the same political party as he is.
But, this plan is not showing the true motivation of the mayor's actions!
To make a good impression, to look like a nice guy in front of the locals and the media, the mayor said that he was open to discuss another solution to the stray dogs issue, and that ADOR should present him a better solution within one week, or he would resume his 'pilot project' and the dogs would be brought to Constanta as planned and that he would not accept any 'fantasy proposals'.
In a public announcement, the mayor later proclaimed that he is not interested in what ADOR thinks nor wants. That it was not ADOR who had elected him, but the citizens and that he will maintain the contract concluded with Constanta, that the dog catchers would come back to collect the dogs and bring them to Constanta - not to be killed, but to be adopted.
How on earth is ADOR supposed to find a 'solution' for the 70 dogs cramped in the vans, and the other 1,000 dogs that are estimated to live in the city of Botosani within one week?
The mayor knows that this is a 'mission impossible'; that ADOR, nor any other organisation, can't find homes for more than thousand dogs in one week.
He knows it, and he is not interested in seeing the dogs go any where else than in his 'pilot project' of which they will never walk out again, because he has made a dubious deal with Puppy Vet srl, and probably also with the mayor of Constanta, who is in the same political party as he is.
What you should know about the mayor...
In May's 2012 election, Botosani got a new mayor, Mr Ovidiu Portariuc from PSD party. Before the elections, candidate Ovidiu Portariuc publicly promised that his aim is to solve the stray animals problem in Botosani.
He also promised his full collaboration to the local animal welfare group Associata ADOR.
Mr Ovidiu Portariuc was elected... And in May 2012 something incredible happened!
The following text is taken from the website of 'Help a Romanian Stray Dog' and will explain:
May 2012 was meant to be a wonderful month for the dogs in Botosani.
Asociatia ADOR and RAR (Romanian Animal Rescue) joined forces to help solve the problem of overpopulation of stray dogs in Botosani, a problem that the City Hall Botosani has not been able to solve. In this campaign, dogs, both owned and strays, were going to be sterilized, vaccinated and dewormed. FOR FREE!
The goal was to spay/neuter up to 1000 animals in the city of Botosani, Romania, with volunteers arriving from around the globe to help. The plan was to spay/neuter animals for a duration of two weeks, the last day being May 30th, with hopes of the sterilization program reaching a large number of dogs and cats.
The public was very open to the sterilization campaign, because the number of dogs registered for sterilization for the first day was considerable; about 500 dogs and 100 cats.
Volunteers involved came from several countries (USA, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and of course Romania) to help veterinarians to operate all dogs registered.
The clinic and space where all the action took place was offered for free by VelmaVet.
On the 4th day, however, local authorities - or more specifically - the Director of DSV (Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety) Minodora Vasiliu stopped the sterilization campaign on the grounds that there were a number of statutory conditions not met. "We only observed the law", Vasiliu says, denying any foul play being involved.
The volunteers and charity workers see it quite differently. "They gave all kinds of astonishing reasons for closing down the campaign. For instance, they claimed that we didn't have authorization from the DSV. This is false, a volunteer who actually works at the DSV personally worked on all the papers and we got the ok. We wouldn't have done it otherwise." One of the volunteers says.
Other reasons the DSV had given were that some of the volunteers didn't have medical training - This was true, however, the volunteers weren't doing any medical action, they were sorting the dogs, petting to keep them calm, brushing them, cleaning before surgery, removing hair in the operation area before the vets would take them on the table, talking to the owners, reassuring the dogs once they were awake from the anesthetics etc.
The DSV also claimed that the space was too small - The vet clinic in question was the only one that agreed to help with the sterilization campaign, no other veterinary cabinet wished to help because of being politically controlled or fear of repercussion from helping ADOR. The RAR team was available to do the operations in other spaces, even in tents, but the DVS specifically asked for a vet clinic and the charities conformed. "The space was enough given that it was a spayathon directing at neutering stray dogs, not a luxury salon for dogs. The vets worked perfectly in there, so again this was a far fetched reason."
Other claims were made as well, like that the dogs were put on blankets on the clinic's floor after the surgery and that it wasn't a septic space - Although true, it was warm enough and there were many blankets on the floor, no risk of disease really existed. Volunteers stayed besides the dogs, caring and petting and making sure they were perfectly safe. It was far better than doing it how the local vets do it; simply putting the spayed dog into the owner's arms right after the surgery is ready, even though most people have no idea how to care for the dogs after the surgery. That's why the charities and their volunteers wanted to keep the dogs for a few hours at the clinic and keep them under observation, instructing owners on how to care for them. People from abroad working in hospitals even said that this sometimes happens with humans too and that there is no real problem as long as someone didn't specifically put dirt onto the dogs' wounds.
Apparently unaccustomed to western veterinary skills, the DSV were skeptical about the quick pace and small incision scars left from the surgery, not taking into consideration that the surgeons were extremely skilled and used good surgical equipment.
Probably the most ridiculous claim the DSV came up with was that the American vets don't have the legal right to do operations in Romania. When the RAR team then hired good doctors from other cities in Romania (Romanian vets), this wasn't good enough for the DSV either. They wanted every vet that performed surgery to have a clinic in Botosani(?!), and that they would each operate in their own clinic, not have them all come to one clinic and perform the surgeries in the same clinic.
The final reason, and also the official one, the DSV decided to go with, was that only 15 animals could have been sterilized per day, instead of 55. This would have meant the veterinarians would have had to stay for 66 more days, which financially wouldn't be possible, since everything was being payed for from donations received.
If there was ANY base to the claims made by the DSV, then why hasn't there been any problems with the sterilization campaigns organized and conducted under the same conditions in other cities: Craiova, Cluj Turda, Sibiu, Oradea, Galati, Blackpool, Moreni. In these cities the local authorities have supported the efforts of sponsors and volunteers. And for the claims of limited operations per day, just take a look at last years successful Craiova Spayathon campaign by RAR, where four veterinarians, two from the United States and two from Romania, spayed 1400 dogs and cats during 10 days!
The true reasons for this ludicrous charade by the DSV's director lies most likely in the outcome of last years stray dog massacre in Botosani, where over 200 dogs were killed under false pretenses.
DSV's director Minodora Vasiliu, as well as the mayor of Botosani Catalin Flutur among others, were considered to be prosecuted by the Botosani Court for their involvement in the massacre. Unfortunately, corruption prevailed, and the aforementioned only got a bad image, nothing else.
Asociatia ADOR was the one who made the 2011 Botosani dog massacre public, which lead to bad publicity for DSV's director Minodora Vasiliu. Vasiliu is also married to a local vet who apparently was less than happy that people got their dogs neutered for free instead of paying to use his practice, a posh and expensive clinic in Botosani.
The public feels betrayed by the unreasonable decision to end the sterilization campaign, quotes;
"Where was the law when the decision was made to kill the 240 dogs in Botosani public shelter? Do you think the people of Botosani are stupid?"
"Is it better for people who cannot afford expensive veterinarian services to leave their dogs unsterilized because of the DSV's personal vendettas??"
"Amazing how suddenly some are so quick to "respect the law" and ask for papers over papers, accreditations and credentials only when it suites them! When they brutally killed 240 dogs last year, did that comply with the law?"
It has been stated time and time again that spay&neuter is the only solution to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted animals. It is unfathomable that the city of Botosani has not risen to the occasion to be part of the solution, handed to them on a silver plate.
Shameful. And truly, truly sad.
He also promised his full collaboration to the local animal welfare group Associata ADOR.
Mr Ovidiu Portariuc was elected... And in May 2012 something incredible happened!
The following text is taken from the website of 'Help a Romanian Stray Dog' and will explain:
May 2012 was meant to be a wonderful month for the dogs in Botosani.
Asociatia ADOR and RAR (Romanian Animal Rescue) joined forces to help solve the problem of overpopulation of stray dogs in Botosani, a problem that the City Hall Botosani has not been able to solve. In this campaign, dogs, both owned and strays, were going to be sterilized, vaccinated and dewormed. FOR FREE!
The goal was to spay/neuter up to 1000 animals in the city of Botosani, Romania, with volunteers arriving from around the globe to help. The plan was to spay/neuter animals for a duration of two weeks, the last day being May 30th, with hopes of the sterilization program reaching a large number of dogs and cats.
The public was very open to the sterilization campaign, because the number of dogs registered for sterilization for the first day was considerable; about 500 dogs and 100 cats.
Volunteers involved came from several countries (USA, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and of course Romania) to help veterinarians to operate all dogs registered.
The clinic and space where all the action took place was offered for free by VelmaVet.
On the 4th day, however, local authorities - or more specifically - the Director of DSV (Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety) Minodora Vasiliu stopped the sterilization campaign on the grounds that there were a number of statutory conditions not met. "We only observed the law", Vasiliu says, denying any foul play being involved.
The volunteers and charity workers see it quite differently. "They gave all kinds of astonishing reasons for closing down the campaign. For instance, they claimed that we didn't have authorization from the DSV. This is false, a volunteer who actually works at the DSV personally worked on all the papers and we got the ok. We wouldn't have done it otherwise." One of the volunteers says.
Other reasons the DSV had given were that some of the volunteers didn't have medical training - This was true, however, the volunteers weren't doing any medical action, they were sorting the dogs, petting to keep them calm, brushing them, cleaning before surgery, removing hair in the operation area before the vets would take them on the table, talking to the owners, reassuring the dogs once they were awake from the anesthetics etc.
The DSV also claimed that the space was too small - The vet clinic in question was the only one that agreed to help with the sterilization campaign, no other veterinary cabinet wished to help because of being politically controlled or fear of repercussion from helping ADOR. The RAR team was available to do the operations in other spaces, even in tents, but the DVS specifically asked for a vet clinic and the charities conformed. "The space was enough given that it was a spayathon directing at neutering stray dogs, not a luxury salon for dogs. The vets worked perfectly in there, so again this was a far fetched reason."
Other claims were made as well, like that the dogs were put on blankets on the clinic's floor after the surgery and that it wasn't a septic space - Although true, it was warm enough and there were many blankets on the floor, no risk of disease really existed. Volunteers stayed besides the dogs, caring and petting and making sure they were perfectly safe. It was far better than doing it how the local vets do it; simply putting the spayed dog into the owner's arms right after the surgery is ready, even though most people have no idea how to care for the dogs after the surgery. That's why the charities and their volunteers wanted to keep the dogs for a few hours at the clinic and keep them under observation, instructing owners on how to care for them. People from abroad working in hospitals even said that this sometimes happens with humans too and that there is no real problem as long as someone didn't specifically put dirt onto the dogs' wounds.
Apparently unaccustomed to western veterinary skills, the DSV were skeptical about the quick pace and small incision scars left from the surgery, not taking into consideration that the surgeons were extremely skilled and used good surgical equipment.
Probably the most ridiculous claim the DSV came up with was that the American vets don't have the legal right to do operations in Romania. When the RAR team then hired good doctors from other cities in Romania (Romanian vets), this wasn't good enough for the DSV either. They wanted every vet that performed surgery to have a clinic in Botosani(?!), and that they would each operate in their own clinic, not have them all come to one clinic and perform the surgeries in the same clinic.
The final reason, and also the official one, the DSV decided to go with, was that only 15 animals could have been sterilized per day, instead of 55. This would have meant the veterinarians would have had to stay for 66 more days, which financially wouldn't be possible, since everything was being payed for from donations received.
If there was ANY base to the claims made by the DSV, then why hasn't there been any problems with the sterilization campaigns organized and conducted under the same conditions in other cities: Craiova, Cluj Turda, Sibiu, Oradea, Galati, Blackpool, Moreni. In these cities the local authorities have supported the efforts of sponsors and volunteers. And for the claims of limited operations per day, just take a look at last years successful Craiova Spayathon campaign by RAR, where four veterinarians, two from the United States and two from Romania, spayed 1400 dogs and cats during 10 days!
The true reasons for this ludicrous charade by the DSV's director lies most likely in the outcome of last years stray dog massacre in Botosani, where over 200 dogs were killed under false pretenses.
DSV's director Minodora Vasiliu, as well as the mayor of Botosani Catalin Flutur among others, were considered to be prosecuted by the Botosani Court for their involvement in the massacre. Unfortunately, corruption prevailed, and the aforementioned only got a bad image, nothing else.
Asociatia ADOR was the one who made the 2011 Botosani dog massacre public, which lead to bad publicity for DSV's director Minodora Vasiliu. Vasiliu is also married to a local vet who apparently was less than happy that people got their dogs neutered for free instead of paying to use his practice, a posh and expensive clinic in Botosani.
The public feels betrayed by the unreasonable decision to end the sterilization campaign, quotes;
"Where was the law when the decision was made to kill the 240 dogs in Botosani public shelter? Do you think the people of Botosani are stupid?"
"Is it better for people who cannot afford expensive veterinarian services to leave their dogs unsterilized because of the DSV's personal vendettas??"
"Amazing how suddenly some are so quick to "respect the law" and ask for papers over papers, accreditations and credentials only when it suites them! When they brutally killed 240 dogs last year, did that comply with the law?"
It has been stated time and time again that spay&neuter is the only solution to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted animals. It is unfathomable that the city of Botosani has not risen to the occasion to be part of the solution, handed to them on a silver plate.
Shameful. And truly, truly sad.
Now, 6 months after he promised his citizens to take care of the stray animals issue, and since nothing happened, the mayor of Botosani needed to find a quick and radical solution to get the strays out of his town; he needed a solution to get rid of them once and for good!
The deal(s)...
It was the local newspaper Botosaneanul that dug out and published the contract - the deal - concluded between the mayor of Botosani and SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob).
According to this contract, SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) offers all its 'services', meaning:
to the municipality of Botosani FOR FREE!
Yes, you have read correctly: SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) doesn't want any money from the Botosani-municipality for their services.
They will do all this for free. Just imagine only the money spent to pick up the dogs in Botosani and to bring them to Constanta. Le'ts make a quick calculation:
And all this for FREE. It's quite unbelievable, isn't it?
Below, you can see the contract - please click on the picture to enlarge.
According to this contract, SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) offers all its 'services', meaning:
- catching of the dogs,
- the transportation of the dogs to Constanta (579 km away from Botosani),
- the 'management' of the dogs (housing and supposedly feeding)
to the municipality of Botosani FOR FREE!
Yes, you have read correctly: SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) doesn't want any money from the Botosani-municipality for their services.
They will do all this for free. Just imagine only the money spent to pick up the dogs in Botosani and to bring them to Constanta. Le'ts make a quick calculation:
- in the van that had been stopped, were 70 dogs, and considering that 1,000 dogs still need to be brought to Constanta, this would equal to 14-15 transports à 1,158 km (579 km one way) = between 16.212 and 17,370 km driving alone.
- not to mention the costs for the salary of the dog catchers, the housing and the supposedly feeding of the dogs, once they will be in Constanta.
And all this for FREE. It's quite unbelievable, isn't it?
Below, you can see the contract - please click on the picture to enlarge.
What makes the fact that these 'services' should all be for free - that there is no hidden financial gain to be made from the catching and the 'management' of the dogs' - even more incredible, is the fact that the hired company, SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), has signed a similar contract with the municipality of Constanta, with the difference that this contract is worth 1,250,000 Euros!
An interesting statement from Animalstar (Germany)
about one of the vans that was used to collect the dogs...
In the following video statement, a member of Animalstar, reveals some interesting details about one of the vans that had been used to collect the dogs, as well as about Alfmob.
In short, Dirk Lenzen, the man in the video says that:
In short, Dirk Lenzen, the man in the video says that:
- one of the vans, is a van that Animalstar had donated years ago to Alfmob. It was a donation and it was meant to collect stray animals in order to bring them to the animal shelter so that they can be spayed and neutered and later brought back to their territory, to the place where they had been catched. Now, years later, the same van was used by Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), not to help the dogs, but to harm them;
- the two persons with whom Animalstar were in contact during the more than 10 years that they helped and supported the dog pound in Constanta, was a couple of which the woman was an employee of the Constanta municipality. She was responsible for the public dog pound, namely for the distribution of the funds, the staff and the entire settlement. And the man, her husband, was the responsible (chef) of Alfmob, the company that was in charge of catching the strays and to remove them from the streets of Constanta as well as to operate the local dog pound;
- when the couple split in 2008, things got bad in the local shelter and Animalstar decided not to work and support this dog pound any longer because they simply could not agree with the 'new concept'. While the concept until then was to catch, neuter and release the dogs back to their territory after a few days (like it must be done, so that the now castrated males can fend off and keep away other, perhaps non-neutered males), the new concept was now to catch, to neuter and to house the dogs at the municipal dog shelter until the day that the dogs are adopted. For this, the municipality of Constanta now pays a 'package-fee' of 25,- Euros. This 'package-fee' is meant to cover ALL expenses of the dog pound, from staff to food, to sterilizations;
- with a capacity of more or less 200 dogs, it is clear that the dog pound was quickly overcrowded and no new dogs could be admitted. But no new dogs, means no new money. And since the 'package-fee' of 25,- Euros paid by the municipality was meant to pay for ALL fees - the staff, the housing, the food, the vaccines, the sterilization - the shelter needed to get rid of the dogs as soon as possible in order to able to bring in new ones. If this was not possible via adoptions, many dogs were deemed aggressive so that they could be euthanized, making room for new dogs, for new income;
- during Animalstar's last visit, they noticed that sterilizations would not been practiced as much as before. While in the past, they sterilized between 20 and 40 dogs a day by two veterinarians and their assistants, now they [Animalstar] had to wait 3 or even 4 days before they could witness even one sterilization being made;
The last stand following ADOR's meeting with the mayor
On Wednesday, 28th of November, 2012 the one week delay granted by the mayor ended and the two parties (mayor and ADOR) met to discuss the next steps to be taken in order to solve the stray dogs issue in Botosani.
Our friends from Million Actions for Animal Rights had sent the file containing more than 7,000 signatures collected via their petition to ADOR who handed them over to the mayor, together with their draft contract assuming some responsibility in helping to solve the stray animals.
Our friends from Million Actions for Animal Rights had sent the file containing more than 7,000 signatures collected via their petition to ADOR who handed them over to the mayor, together with their draft contract assuming some responsibility in helping to solve the stray animals.
According to the local newspaper Botosaneanul.ro, the mayor said:
"It is a solution that we can start to discuss, but from what I see in the contract, and I have said it from the start, it does not reduce the number of stray dogs. They will just be neutered and vaccinated and therefore it does not solve the problem. It is a solution that deserves attention, a study, an analysis, I would propose to have several meetings including citizens of Botosani who have expressed interest to participate in our meetings."
Finally, the two sides have agreed that, after having studied the proposed contract from ADOR, to have a further meeting next week.
"It is a solution that we can start to discuss, but from what I see in the contract, and I have said it from the start, it does not reduce the number of stray dogs. They will just be neutered and vaccinated and therefore it does not solve the problem. It is a solution that deserves attention, a study, an analysis, I would propose to have several meetings including citizens of Botosani who have expressed interest to participate in our meetings."
Finally, the two sides have agreed that, after having studied the proposed contract from ADOR, to have a further meeting next week.
The petition
To:
The Mayor of Botosani, Mr Ovidiu Portariuc
Copy to:
The Council of Europe
The European Commission
OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office
Romanian Constitutional Court
Mr Erler, European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals
Mrs Erminia Mazzoni, Chair of the Committee on Petitions at the European Parliament
SUBJECT: collaborate with ADOR and implement a catch-neuter-return program
Mr Mayor,
we are writing you regarding your plan to send the stray dogs of Botosani to the killing pound of Constanta, and your dubious deal with SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), that we have documented in the following link:
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/the-mayor-of-botosani-wants-to-send-the-citys-stray-dogs-to-constanta-on-a-dubious-pilot-project.html
You have publicly proclaimed that the dogs will be send to Constanta, 579 km away from Botosani, that they will be housed there until homes are found for them, and that they will not be killed. But there are some aspects in this entire story that we know, and that makes it difficult for us to believe you - although we would love to.
What we don't understand is this:
What we know and what we understand - on the other hand - is that SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) was responsible for the killing of thousands of stray dogs in Constanta in the past. What we know also, is that the unfortunate dogs that enter the Bio Baza killing pound don't receive food, nor water, that they sleep in their own feces and urine, and that they rarely walk out alive again.
As much as we would love to believe that the dogs will well be taken care of in Constanta, we know that it will not be the case and we plead with you, Mr Mayor, to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized and humane way, and to collaborate with your local animal protection association, ADOR, who will help you to implement a successful Catch-Neuter-and-Return-program as soon as possible.
Catch-Neuter-Return is the only proven humane and effective method to reduce stray animal populations. Statistical studies indicate that in order to fully control a stray population, you need to achieve a 70 percent sterilization rate of the animals within a particular community. Once you reach the 70 percent threshold, the probability that an unsterilized female comes into contact with an unsterilized male is sufficiently small, and the population stops growing.
The International Companion Animal Management Coalition (ICAM) has published a guidance on the humane management of dog populations, which will guide and help you to implement an effective and sustainable approach that is proven to be effective. This document can be downloaded at the following link:
http://www.animalmosaic.org/Images/Humane_Dog_Population_Management_Guidance_English_tcm46-32307.pdf
Killing stray animals, however, does not stop the problem and only offers a temporary “solution”. The World Health Organization’s “Guidelines for Dog Population Management” (Geneva 1990) and various other academic studies show that killing dogs is ineffective. Despite mass extermination campaigns by misguided municipalities the street dog population grows, and the best examples of both good and bad stray animal population control policies come from your own country:
Sadly, a few months ago, Mr Robert Smith, the president and founder of FPCC-SOS Dogs Oradea could not no longer afford to finance the Neuter & Return project in Oradea and because he considered the target has been reached by proving this program is the only successful one, he decided to retire from it and invited the city hall to carry on with the investment and management. Ignoring the legislation in force, the City hall Oradea had decided, by an illegal local decision (no. 505), to kill all the unadopted dogs within 7 days, which brings us to another lesson to be learned from Oradrea:
If you send the dogs to Constanta, it will be their death sentence. They will die there. They will either be killed under the usual, false pretext that they are terminally ill or aggressive, or they will die of what is called 'natural causes' in your local dog pound in Botosani - meaning to die of starvation, to freeze to death or of the consequences of diseases and injuries left without veterinary care.
If they die (and they will) everybody will know that you have lied publicly, and that you have lied to your citizens because you knew since the beginning that they would not survive, and that the true motivation behind the contract that you have signed with SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) never was to have the dogs housed in Constanta until they will be eventually adopted, but to have them off your streets - in one way or another - and the sooner, the better, because it was this, that you had promised to the citizens of Botosani before they have elected you.
Solve your stray animals issue in the humane, civilized and proven manner (catch/neuter/release) and you will see that the stray animals population will stop growing, which will bring you sympathy (and votes) from both animal loving people and from those who don't love them and who want to see them disappear. Make the humane choice and everybody wins.
We thank you for having taken the time to read our letter and we will continue to follow the evolution of the stray animals issue in your city with great interest.
Yours sincerely,
[your name]
The Mayor of Botosani, Mr Ovidiu Portariuc
Copy to:
The Council of Europe
The European Commission
OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office
Romanian Constitutional Court
Mr Erler, European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals
Mrs Erminia Mazzoni, Chair of the Committee on Petitions at the European Parliament
SUBJECT: collaborate with ADOR and implement a catch-neuter-return program
Mr Mayor,
we are writing you regarding your plan to send the stray dogs of Botosani to the killing pound of Constanta, and your dubious deal with SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), that we have documented in the following link:
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/the-mayor-of-botosani-wants-to-send-the-citys-stray-dogs-to-constanta-on-a-dubious-pilot-project.html
You have publicly proclaimed that the dogs will be send to Constanta, 579 km away from Botosani, that they will be housed there until homes are found for them, and that they will not be killed. But there are some aspects in this entire story that we know, and that makes it difficult for us to believe you - although we would love to.
What we don't understand is this:
- there are approximately 1,000 stray dogs living in Botosani that you want to have off your streets. How do you want to house these 1,000 dogs in the Bio Baza killing pound in Constanta that has a capacity of only 200 dogs?
- how comes that SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) has signed a contract with your municipality according to which, they offer all their services (catching, transportation, and 'management' of the dogs) for FREE? Without anything in return? What makes the fact that these 'services' should all be for free - that there is no hidden financial gain to be made from the catching and the 'management' of the dogs - even more incredible, is the fact that SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob), has signed a similar contract with the municipality of Constanta, with the difference that this contract is worth 1,250,000 Euros!
What we know and what we understand - on the other hand - is that SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) was responsible for the killing of thousands of stray dogs in Constanta in the past. What we know also, is that the unfortunate dogs that enter the Bio Baza killing pound don't receive food, nor water, that they sleep in their own feces and urine, and that they rarely walk out alive again.
As much as we would love to believe that the dogs will well be taken care of in Constanta, we know that it will not be the case and we plead with you, Mr Mayor, to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized and humane way, and to collaborate with your local animal protection association, ADOR, who will help you to implement a successful Catch-Neuter-and-Return-program as soon as possible.
Catch-Neuter-Return is the only proven humane and effective method to reduce stray animal populations. Statistical studies indicate that in order to fully control a stray population, you need to achieve a 70 percent sterilization rate of the animals within a particular community. Once you reach the 70 percent threshold, the probability that an unsterilized female comes into contact with an unsterilized male is sufficiently small, and the population stops growing.
The International Companion Animal Management Coalition (ICAM) has published a guidance on the humane management of dog populations, which will guide and help you to implement an effective and sustainable approach that is proven to be effective. This document can be downloaded at the following link:
http://www.animalmosaic.org/Images/Humane_Dog_Population_Management_Guidance_English_tcm46-32307.pdf
Killing stray animals, however, does not stop the problem and only offers a temporary “solution”. The World Health Organization’s “Guidelines for Dog Population Management” (Geneva 1990) and various other academic studies show that killing dogs is ineffective. Despite mass extermination campaigns by misguided municipalities the street dog population grows, and the best examples of both good and bad stray animal population control policies come from your own country:
- In 2001 the then-mayor of Bucharest launched a campaign that led to the extermination of about 144,000 stray dogs in the capital alone, spending almost 9,000,000 Euros (62 Euros per dog) during the period from 2001-2007. Between 2008-2010, 20,000 dogs have been killed in Constanta spending 1,500,000 Euros (75 Euros per dog). As you know, both the city of Bucharest and Constanta are again littered with live and dead dogs.
- The only town in Romania that used catch/neuter/release programs was Oradea, and the results are showing: in 6 years the population of strays decreased 8 times.
Sadly, a few months ago, Mr Robert Smith, the president and founder of FPCC-SOS Dogs Oradea could not no longer afford to finance the Neuter & Return project in Oradea and because he considered the target has been reached by proving this program is the only successful one, he decided to retire from it and invited the city hall to carry on with the investment and management. Ignoring the legislation in force, the City hall Oradea had decided, by an illegal local decision (no. 505), to kill all the unadopted dogs within 7 days, which brings us to another lesson to be learned from Oradrea:
- the National Federation for Animal Protection (FNPA) brought this case to court requesting that the resolution in question adopted by the Local Council be dismissed at once, and THEY WON! Therefore, the Court judicial decision obtained at Oradea becomes extremely important for the entire country as a precedent for recognition in Court, the inapplicability, implied repeal of the articles of Governmental Ordinance 155/2001 that provide euthanasia.
If you send the dogs to Constanta, it will be their death sentence. They will die there. They will either be killed under the usual, false pretext that they are terminally ill or aggressive, or they will die of what is called 'natural causes' in your local dog pound in Botosani - meaning to die of starvation, to freeze to death or of the consequences of diseases and injuries left without veterinary care.
If they die (and they will) everybody will know that you have lied publicly, and that you have lied to your citizens because you knew since the beginning that they would not survive, and that the true motivation behind the contract that you have signed with SC Puppy Vet SRL (formerly Alfmob) never was to have the dogs housed in Constanta until they will be eventually adopted, but to have them off your streets - in one way or another - and the sooner, the better, because it was this, that you had promised to the citizens of Botosani before they have elected you.
Solve your stray animals issue in the humane, civilized and proven manner (catch/neuter/release) and you will see that the stray animals population will stop growing, which will bring you sympathy (and votes) from both animal loving people and from those who don't love them and who want to see them disappear. Make the humane choice and everybody wins.
We thank you for having taken the time to read our letter and we will continue to follow the evolution of the stray animals issue in your city with great interest.
Yours sincerely,
[your name]
P.S. if you have not done so yet, please sign also the petition started by Million Actions for Animal Rights
Thank you!
October 2013
AHA? The mayor of Botosani, Ovidiu Portariuc, is making headlines again!
The following article written by Dr Rita Pal, was originally published at 'The Huffington Post' on 14th of October, 2013:
Botosani is the captial city of Botosani County, in northern Moldavia, Romania. It is largely famed - insofar as it is famed at all - for its rich cultural life, including the Botosani National Philharmonica and the "Vasilache" Puppet Theatre.
However, lurking in the shadow of these cultural giants lies a dark, shameful secret. For here, alongside the artists, musicians and puppeteers who make up the very essence of civilised society, acts of vicious cruelty and merciless slaughter against our fellow creatures are commonplace, and have been for some time.
As many readers will know, a recent change in Romanian law means that stray dogs are to be captured and taken to publicly funded shelters, where they are to be exterminated if they have not been found a home within 14 days. The Romanian government remains committed to the move, despite national and international condemnation, and their enthusiasm is apparently shared by the Mayor of Botosani, Ovidiu Portariuc.
In a recent interview, translated into English here, he is reported to have said that his regime had been waiting for legislation of this kind for a long time, and that, now it was available, he would be making use of it.
He also appeared to confirm that his Botosani County government had acted in this way before, some time prior to the new law coming into effect. Since it was illegal to kill a healthy stray until the new law was passed, the Mayor seems to have admitted to breaking the law as it stood until then. No doubt, as a professional politician, he will find a way to talk himself out of his apparently ill-advised comments, but the general gist - that the Botosani County government approves of killing stray dogs, legally or otherwise - is now common knowledge, thanks to the Mayor's own words.
Sadly, the Mayor's position is far from unique. Botosani has long had an evil reputation for the abuse and destruction of stray dogs, often in the most inhumane ways imaginable.
In May 2011, news began to emerge of a horrendous massacre at a public shelter for stray dogs in Botosani. Over 200 dogs were allegedly hacked to death in under two hours, leaving staff to hastily - and incompletely - hose down the shelter's bloodied walls while representatives of animal protection Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) looked on in horror, according to examiner.com.
Stirileprotv.ro reported that the remains of the unfortunate animals were wrapped in plastic bags when the press arrived. Shelter staff were reportedly aggressive towards representatives of the media, hurling bricks and turning hoses on them, before barricading themselves inside the building.
The official explanation for the bloodbath was that some of the animals had contracted a contagious disease, necessitating the instant destruction of all the shelter's strays to prevent a possible epidemic. Veterinarian, Christian Peter Pancu said that he personally euthanised all the dogs by lethal injection, and that their deaths were quick and painless.
Needless to say, doubts remained in the minds of NGO representatives - why were the walls of the shelter splattered with blood? And how could one man personally, humanely euthanise more than 200 dogs in so short a time?
Unfortunately, even this orgy of destruction doesn't seem to be unique, or even uncommon. Workers at the local landfill were not surprised by the massacre, telling adevarul.ro, "Last year bodies of many animals were in the trash where they were burned. When you do not want to kill them with their hands, do not give them food and dogs eat each other."
The adverse publicity attracted by such killing sprees, while hardly international front page news, is clearly not in keeping with the oily, Mr Niceguy facade routinely adopted by politicians at all levels, from the presidents of Superpowers to the mayors of obscure counties. This may explain why, in late 2012, long before the new dog-killing law was conceived, Mayor Portariuc seems to have hatched a devious scheme to transport stray dogs far away from his territory, into the county of Constanta.
According to Occupy For Animals, the so-called "pilot project" was to employ a company from Constanta called SC Puppy Vet SRL to capture stray dogs in Botosani and take them to the public dog pound in Constanta, more than 500km away.
While passing problems - stray dogs, in this case - on to someone else is standard procedure for most politicians, this may be a little more sinister than it first appears. For one thing, the pound in Constanta has an even worse reputation than its counterpart in Botosani. Occupy For Animals alleges that the pound, formerly operated by a company called Alfmob SRL, is nothing more than a facility for killing stray dogs, and that, in 2010, Save the Dogs obtained evidence to this effect.
For another, also according to Occupy For Animals, SC Puppy Vet SRL is non other than Alfmob SRL, operating under a new name. Alfmob SRL is claimed to have captured and killed huge numbers of stray dogs in Constanta, yet the Mayor of Botosani apparently signed a contract with them (in their new guise as SC Puppy Vet SRL) to capture strays and take them to Constanta, "to be adopted". Could this be what Mayor Portariuc meant when he claimed to have "acted before"?
Whatever the truth of the matter, it is clear that Botosani is not a safe place for stray dogs to be. The local government has welcomed new legislation that allows unadopted strays to be killed after 14 days, and purports to have already - and illegally - acted in this way before. It has also contracted with a company to capture and remove strays to a facility in Constanta that is reputed to kill strays with impunity, and Botosani's own shelter has previously been the scene of a horrifying stray dog massacre. Not, perhaps, a city that any dog lover would want to visit, cultural centre or not.
"Feed them, or we kill them!"
During a meeting held in early October, 2013 between representatives of the local animal protection association, Asociata Ador, and the town hall of Botosani, the vice-mayor said that ADOR must feed the dogs, or the municipality would apply the "Slaughter Law" and kill them after the "14 day pre-slaughter period".
Below, the text taken from an appeal launched by ADOR:
The dogs in the Botosani public shelter will be killed if we will not feed them all. At this moment there are 350 dogs in the public shelter, but the dog catchers are bringing new dogs every day. The vice mayor said that if we can not feed them, he will start killing them after 14 days.
Pro Canes will help, as they always did, with food, but they also need grantors. If everybody will JUST donate 10 euro a month and we can find enough people to donate, these dogs are saved.
We work hard for adoptions, and many of them will leave this place if they are given the chance. In this shelter there are old dogs, young ones, puppies, scared, shy, sociable, all kind of dogs... all they have in common, is that they don't deserve to die.
Their life is practically in your hands. Help them! Help us! Please!
Please think hard if you can spend 7 ore 10 euro in a better way then saving an innocent life!
We, the ones that visit these dogs every day, the ones that take pictures and try to find homes, the ones that almost lose our jobs to work for this dogs, we beg you... don't let them die!
Below, the text taken from an appeal launched by ADOR:
The dogs in the Botosani public shelter will be killed if we will not feed them all. At this moment there are 350 dogs in the public shelter, but the dog catchers are bringing new dogs every day. The vice mayor said that if we can not feed them, he will start killing them after 14 days.
Pro Canes will help, as they always did, with food, but they also need grantors. If everybody will JUST donate 10 euro a month and we can find enough people to donate, these dogs are saved.
We work hard for adoptions, and many of them will leave this place if they are given the chance. In this shelter there are old dogs, young ones, puppies, scared, shy, sociable, all kind of dogs... all they have in common, is that they don't deserve to die.
Their life is practically in your hands. Help them! Help us! Please!
Please think hard if you can spend 7 ore 10 euro in a better way then saving an innocent life!
We, the ones that visit these dogs every day, the ones that take pictures and try to find homes, the ones that almost lose our jobs to work for this dogs, we beg you... don't let them die!