LAWS informs you…
“WHAT CAN I DO IF SOMEBODY IS POISONING THE STRAYS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD?”
“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO IF SOMEBODY SHOOTS AT MY DOG?”
Here is some important information regarding how to react when you become witness to violations against animals.
(The following is an article first published in “Troktiko” newspaper) :
Information on Law 1197/1981 and Law 3170/03:
Violation , torture, and murder of animals are crimes according to the law. Violators are punished with imprisonment up to 5 months or a fine of 300 to 1500 euros, or both.
If we are witness to a crime we must:
1. Go to the police station and ask to make a written report to be put in their incident book. Of course, we ask for a copy. It is their obligation to give us a copy after our written report, and after 2-3 days. It would be better if we knew the identities of the suspects. The police should search for the criminal and call him/her to the police station to give him/her warnings about not violating against animals any more. If the violation is serious, the police should sue him/her ex-officio (self-appointed suing). Police don’t do this very often.
2. Go either to the prosecutor or to the police station and make our prosecution against unknown persons (if the criminal is unknown) in order to push the police to act self-appointed. We give all our personal information, because they will call us to testify.
3. If the violation is very serious, we go personally to the prosecutor and ask him to take the animal (with a special temporary order against its owner) and give it to the local welfare society or local shelter. For that reason we must contact the local welfare society. If there is no welfare society nearby then the prosecutor must find a foster home.
In all the previous cases we can act alone or with the help of the local welfare society or a lawyer. According to the violation’s seriousness we talk to the animal’s owner and ask him/her to stop violating the animal or we will go to the police. It is important for everybody to know that there is a law that exists which protects the animals. Also, it is important to not ignore these violations. It’s imperative that we go to the police when we are witness to violations. It’s the only way to stop the criminals……by keeping them aware that there are prosecutions for these violations.
DID THE MUNICIPALITY POISON THE STRAYS? WHAT CAN I DO?
If we have evidence (witnesses are the best) we make a prosecution report either to the prosecutor or the police, in order to make the prosecution act self-appointed. If we don’t have evidence, we make a prosecution report against unknown persons with the security police. At the same time, we make detailed reports to the local and national newspapers and television stations, being careful not to mention the municipality’s name if we don’t have enough evidence.
DOES SOMEONE (UNKNOWN) POISON THE STRAYS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD?
We call the police , show the dead animals, and demand to make a self-appointed prosecution against unknown persons. If we suspect somebody we inform the police about him/her. We take photos and ask the state vet to come (to collect the bodies and make toxicological exams). If we can’t do this with the state vet, then we ask a regular vet to make a report and testify about the poisoning. If we don’t call the police, then we must go to the police station personally and make a prosecution against unknown persons, giving the photos and vet report.
Apart from all this, we must put posters around the neighborhood informing the people about the crime and how the law punishes the criminals. We try to make a big noise in order to stop the criminals from doing the same violations again. We can say that we give a reward for information.
It is imperative that we not let these animal violations happen without doing anything, because as long we do nothing the criminals will go on striking again and again.
Humanity and sensibility are abstract senses. It is time to act, all together, and give them real meaning.
Pythagoras said :
“As long as humans massacre the animals, they will be killing between them. The one who seeds death and pain can’t crop happiness and love”
(This article, which we have translated, was written by “Troktiko” e-newspaper)
