Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor of Râmnicu Vâlcea,
intends to kill all dogs at the public shelter after 7 days if not adopted!
A puppy at the public shelter
August 30, 2013 - To the tourist eye, Râmnicu Vâlcea is a quiet, leafy city. Located at the bottom of the Carpathian mountain range, in central Romania, no one would guess this town’s secret(s), buried in its working-class neighborhood, Ostroveni.
There are two facets in the image of this quiet, leafy city, that Râmnicu Vâlcea would love to hide from you - you, the tourist or potential tourist:
the +/- 2,500 homeless dogs living on the streets, and the hackers!
You have to leave the boulevard that stretches across the city to end up in narrow streets surrounded by housing projects from the communist era, to start noticing that something’s amiss in this city of about 100,000 citizens.
Parked around those poorly constructed buildings erected during the Cold War dictatorship, there are expensive cars. Behind the wheel, youths between 20 and 30-years-old are proud of showing off a wealth that deeply contrasts with its surroundings.
Welcome to the hackers’ lair!
Râmnicu Vâlcea and its Ostroveni neighborhood, is nicknamed “Hackerville”. It is the world capital for online theft. Internet shoppers from all over the world have been had by the Romanian hacking network: French, British, Germans, Italians and mostly Americans. According to the Romanian police, around 80% of their victims reside in the U.S. "Last year, one billion dollars was stolen in the U.S. by Romanian hackers," says American ambassador in Bucharest, Mark Gitenstein.
Ramnicu Valcea is the nerve center of cyber-criminality and its reach extends to several continents. The phenomenon started in 1996 and had a snowball effect on the town. However, Romania waited until 2003 – pressed by the U.S. – to pass a bill against cyber crimes. [1]
And then there are the stray dogs that you are not supposed to see...
And therefore - in year, in year out - and especially before the beginning of the tourist season - or, at latest, before the next mayoral elections - and like in almost all Romanian towns, the unwanted, abandoned dogs are being rounded up the municipal dog catchers and thrown in their public shelters.
Because homeless dogs, so called 'stray dogs', do not only disturb tourists, but also wealthy people...
There are at the moment between 250 and 300 dogs living in the public shelter Caini Valcea alone. There, out of the public eye, the animals are left to starve... And they would most certainly starve to death if there weren't all the dedicated animal rights activists and rescuers who feed them three times a week, at their own costs, while the money which is being paid by the municipality to feed the dogs "disappears" in unknown channels. The dogs are starving but the mayor doesn't allow the volunteers to feed them more than 3 times a week... go figure why!
This fate is not unique to the stray dogs of Râmnicu Vâlcea; in fact it is the common fate of almost all Romanian stray dogs who have the misfortune to enter such a public shelter, or publicly financed animal shelter, of which most are nothing less than illegal extermination camps run by untrained, poorly educated, underpaid and cruel shelter workers.
We know that, since the Romanian Constitutional Court declared euthanasia in the absence of clear medical criteria as unconstitutional on 11th of January, 2012, many public shelters, or public financed shelters run by dog-catching companies, simply let the animals die of thirst and/or hunger, or of the consequences of diseases and injuries (often inflicted during the catching) left without veterinary care. It is considered "to die of natural causes"...
The municipality's diverse attempts to get rid of the strays
Since the euthanasia of healthy animals is unlawful in Romania (according to Romanian Animal Protection Law 9/2008), many Romanian town halls find other "solutions" to get rid of the unwanted animals.
Before going into the matter, we need to qualify 'euthanasia Romanian style' for our dear readers. 'Euthanasia Romanian style' has often nothing in common with the merciful and painless ending of an animal's life as practiced in western societies.
In the past, "euthanasia" in fact meant: poisoning, strangulation, being burnt alive, beaten to death or injected with magnesium sulphate, water, vinegar, paint thinner and other chemical substances...
Today, "euthanasia" means starving to death, freezing to death, or being left to die of the consequences of diseases, of injuries inflicted during the catching, or of unprofessional sterilizations left without veterinary care.
While some animal welfare legislation exists on paper there is no effect in the real life. Despite improvements of animal protection legislation, and the euthanasia being prohibited, in fact the stray dog management means the same illegal methods to catch and kill dogs, and the same public camps where the dogs are killed by starving to death (FNPA 2011) ...
The next video (graphic) will give you an idea about "euthanasia Romanian style"... In this video the Romanian president Basescu, at that time mayor of Bucharest, said about the stray dogs: "We will take care of them like if they were our children."
In 2010, and again in April 2013, the Râmnicu Vâlcea town hall had the idea to bring the 'rabies argument' in... they said, they had "found" a dead fox, infected with rabies, and following this they wanted to kill all stray dogs in the town. But their claims were false, their plan didn't work out and the dogs could not be killed.
In December 2012, the shelter vet has killed about 50 dogs directly and countless other dogs indirectly because they had intentionally not been treated or given any medical attention and thus the dogs became ill and died of the consequences of their illness, or their injuries left without medical care. In January 2013, the torturers were intercepted by animal rights activists when they tried to illegally dispose of the quietly and secretly killed dogs from the public shelter.
Although the mayor Emilian Francu promised that he will never hurt dogs, even since the time when he was running for mayor, it seems as if the political power erased his memory! Please see:
Article from 6th of April, 2012:
http://www.ramnic.ro/articole/emilian-frncu-crede-ca-eutanasierea-cinilor-abandonati-reprezinta-un-genocid-44712/2012-04-06
Article from 6th of June, 2012:
http://arenavalceana.ro/2012/06/12/emilian-francu-usl-este-noul-primar-al-ramnicului/
Article from 10th of September, 2012:
http://www.publipro.ro/proexpres-de-ramnic/maidanezii-pe-biroul-primarului-emilian-francu-10396 ).
During a meeting in May 2013, the mayor said that he was forced by legislation to apply the EUTHANASIA according to GEO 155/2001 (to euthanize all animals after 7 days), notwithstanding the existence of the Law 9/2008 which prohibits the euthanasia. Due to the intervention of the local animal protection association 'Caini Valcea' and public pressure, the mayor cancelled his plan.
Meanwhile the mayor, Emilian Francu, is in prison and the vice-mayor, Eduard Varlan, has taken his place...
And now, in August 2013, the vice-mayor has come up with the same plans again: to euthanize all dogs after 7 days if not adopted.
What Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor does not seem to know is, that a similar decision taken by one of his politician colleagues, Mr. Bolojan the mayor of Oradea, failed the test of legality in court! 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.
Another, very important thing, that the vice-mayor seems not to be in the knowing, or that he chooses to ignore, is that 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.
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 their 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). 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.
On 31st of May 2013, the local animal protection association 'Caini Valcea' wrote:
"The efficiency of sterilization of dogs that are supposed to be killed is NULL and any nonprofit organization in the country or abroad does not want to engage in such a futile project, with results shown to be doomed to failure.
Although currently local government spends more than 300,000 lei/luna (= approx. 70.000 euro per month!!!) (http://puicaniulian.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/cifre-care-te-lasa-mut/) and the result is only increase the number of stray dogs, is still denied any collaboration for proper adoption of effective measures. It is obvious that "someone" has a strong interest in keeping as many dogs on the streets, and constant increase of funds allocated. "Euthanasia" is practiced for years without success! Mayor compels another four years of genocide in Ramnicu Valcea! From a period to another, changing only ones who lie, dogs are still on the streets, and money spent are becoming more and more.
Thousands of dogs killed since the shelter was founded in 2009, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on paper, the results are still waited ... Mayor Francu does not bring anything new, but it seems that simply wants to continue failed "solutions" of his predecessors! As they did and former mayor, probably dl. Francu want to find out, by putting public debate of this project, the percentage who oppose euthanasia Valcea! The PEOPLE VOTED you Mr. Mayor Francu, with the HOPE that you will apply what you PROMISED: for mass sterilization to reduce street dogs, not euthanasia!"
Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor
Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor
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Dogs at the public shelter, August 2013
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The petition
By signing our petition at change.org, the message that you can read below will be instantly sent to:
Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor of Râmnicu Vâlcea
and copies will go to:
The Council of Europe
The European Commission
The Romanian Constitutional Court
Mr Andrea Zanoni, the vice-president of the 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: drop your plan to kill all homeless dogs after 7 days because the killing of healthy animals is unlawful!
Mr Vice-Mayor,
we are writing to you today because we have been informed that you intend to kill all homeless dogs at the public shelter after 7 days if not adopted. This is already the second time this year that you have come up with this unlawful idea!
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/the-mayor-of-valcea-considers-killing-all-stray-dogs-after-7-days-if-not-adopted.html
You seem to have forgotten, or to not being in the knowing that your country's Animal Protection Law 9/2008 prohibits the euthanasia of healthy animals. Not only is it unlawful, but let us tell you also, that a similar decision taken by one of your politician colleagues, Mr. Bolojan the mayor of Oradea, failed the test of legality in court! 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.
It seems also as if you had forgotten that you had promised your citizens - the people who voted you in - to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized, humane manner and that you would implement mass sterilization campaigns to reduce the numbers of unwanted animals on your streets.
We understand that the next mayoral elections are "around the corner" and that the sheer fact that during your mayoral period, the stray animals population in your town has not decreased, but increased, and this despite the fact that your municipality spends more than 300,000 lei (+/- 70,000 euros) per month for the (supposed) management of the stray animals, puts you under some kind of stress.
According to your local animal protection associations "any collaboration for proper adoption of effective measures is being denied, and it is obvious, that "someone" has a strong interest in keeping as many dogs on the streets as possible, resulting in a constant increase of the allocated funds."
And this, dear Mr Vice-Mayor, is precisely where the problem lays!
We believe that you are desperate to solve the stray animals issue in your town and therefor we urge you to change your policy! We plead with you, Mr Vice-Mayor, to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized and humane way, and 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:
Another problem that we see in the handling of your stray animals issue, is that you keep the dogs in your public shelters after they had been caught and sterilized.
You must understand that an important component of C-N-R (catch-neuter-return), which is the only humane and proven method to successfully curb stray animals populations, is the return of the dogs to their territory where they have been caught, and this has its reasons:
"Neuter & Return" is not only the only humane and proven method to successfully curb and control stray animals populations, it has also a few other advantages that we would like to elaborate below:
While animal lovers and NGOs boycott "catch & kill" or "catch & incarcerate & starve to death" policies and so complicate the dog catchers' work - for good reasons - they welcome "neuter & return" policies and they even gladly collaborate at the catching of the dogs with the purpose of sterilization which implies a reduction of costs and an increase of the speed of the sterilization process. Technically and logistically speaking, it is impossible for the dog catching services to capture all the stray dogs without the help of the population and the animal protection organizations anyways.
The costs are significantly smaller since the animals will not be housed in public shelters at huge costs, but returned to their territory once they have been vaccinated and sterilized, where people often care for them; some dogs being even semi-owned.
In summation: 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]
Eduard Varlan, the vice-mayor of Râmnicu Vâlcea
and copies will go to:
The Council of Europe
The European Commission
The Romanian Constitutional Court
Mr Andrea Zanoni, the vice-president of the 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: drop your plan to kill all homeless dogs after 7 days because the killing of healthy animals is unlawful!
Mr Vice-Mayor,
we are writing to you today because we have been informed that you intend to kill all homeless dogs at the public shelter after 7 days if not adopted. This is already the second time this year that you have come up with this unlawful idea!
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/the-mayor-of-valcea-considers-killing-all-stray-dogs-after-7-days-if-not-adopted.html
You seem to have forgotten, or to not being in the knowing that your country's Animal Protection Law 9/2008 prohibits the euthanasia of healthy animals. Not only is it unlawful, but let us tell you also, that a similar decision taken by one of your politician colleagues, Mr. Bolojan the mayor of Oradea, failed the test of legality in court! 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.
It seems also as if you had forgotten that you had promised your citizens - the people who voted you in - to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized, humane manner and that you would implement mass sterilization campaigns to reduce the numbers of unwanted animals on your streets.
We understand that the next mayoral elections are "around the corner" and that the sheer fact that during your mayoral period, the stray animals population in your town has not decreased, but increased, and this despite the fact that your municipality spends more than 300,000 lei (+/- 70,000 euros) per month for the (supposed) management of the stray animals, puts you under some kind of stress.
According to your local animal protection associations "any collaboration for proper adoption of effective measures is being denied, and it is obvious, that "someone" has a strong interest in keeping as many dogs on the streets as possible, resulting in a constant increase of the allocated funds."
And this, dear Mr Vice-Mayor, is precisely where the problem lays!
We believe that you are desperate to solve the stray animals issue in your town and therefor we urge you to change your policy! We plead with you, Mr Vice-Mayor, to solve the stray animals issue in your town in a civilized and humane way, and 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.
Another problem that we see in the handling of your stray animals issue, is that you keep the dogs in your public shelters after they had been caught and sterilized.
You must understand that an important component of C-N-R (catch-neuter-return), which is the only humane and proven method to successfully curb stray animals populations, is the return of the dogs to their territory where they have been caught, and this has its reasons:
- if the dogs are not returned back to their territory, the reproduction rate will rise directly with the catching rate (in an area where 50% of the dogs are caught and removed from the territory the rest of the 50% will breed in larger numbers due to the fact that they will use the whole food resources available)
- the empty place after the dogs have been removed, will be occupied by other ones in search of food and shelter
- but if the dog is being returned to his/her territory, he/she will fight off and keep away newer dogs from entering his/her area, including those that are probably not sterilized and thus stop the reproduction in this area. Their number will stabilize in this manner, and reduce, slowly, but surely
- as said before: "catch & kill" or "catch & incarcerate" policies have failed in all other Romanian cities before. The only cities that have successfully managed and curbed their stray animals population where those that opted for "catch & return", such a Oradea that had a stray animals population of 4,000 dogs in 2006 which has been reduced to 270 dogs in 2011 without putting to death a single animal. Same us Lugoj, where the stray animals population decreased from 2,500 dogs in 2008, to 235 dogs in 2011
"Neuter & Return" is not only the only humane and proven method to successfully curb and control stray animals populations, it has also a few other advantages that we would like to elaborate below:
While animal lovers and NGOs boycott "catch & kill" or "catch & incarcerate & starve to death" policies and so complicate the dog catchers' work - for good reasons - they welcome "neuter & return" policies and they even gladly collaborate at the catching of the dogs with the purpose of sterilization which implies a reduction of costs and an increase of the speed of the sterilization process. Technically and logistically speaking, it is impossible for the dog catching services to capture all the stray dogs without the help of the population and the animal protection organizations anyways.
The costs are significantly smaller since the animals will not be housed in public shelters at huge costs, but returned to their territory once they have been vaccinated and sterilized, where people often care for them; some dogs being even semi-owned.
In summation: 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]
Please sign our petition by clicking on the button below!
THANK YOU!
Press release
on the management of the stray dogs populations, both at local and national levels
by Iulian Puican, Chairman of the organisation "A doua sansa-Ramnicu Valcea"
No effective program meant at solving the stray dogs’ issue has been implemented in Ramnicu Valcea, throughout the years, in spite of the massive amounts of money spent from the local budget.
Neutering was sporadic (for instance, the municipality was responsible, during 2011, for the neutering of a mere 18 dogs), whereas other various methods (mainly centred on exterminating the stray dogs), implemented by several mayors, have not lead to improved control over the number of stray dogs, on the contrary, they only fueled its increase.
Opposition by the local public administration to all and any organisations willing to perform, free of charge, mass neutering, has also contributed, immensely, to nothing but a perpetuation of this grave issue. Thus, as the years passed, the constant interest targeted methods and justifications supporting the continuous increase in the budget allocated to solve this problem, whilst concocting new and newer ways to embezzle the money in question.
Nonetheless, the local administration has not, up to this very day, performed any census on the actual number of stray dogs, so as to really establish the scale of the problem it was being confronted with; instead, they resorted to advancing various numbers (on the increase, of course), based on the budget they were aiming to obtain. This is the actual reason why the stray dogs’ issue is highlighted only when elections are approaching (whether they be local, presidential or for the European Parliament, as is the case with the current events), given that this problem in itself constitutes a major source of financing for these campaigns, it is a tireless topic and a constant source of revenue.
Since mishaps and aggressive statements targeting the strays are no substitute for the local administration, the risk that accidents involving humans and dogs may occur has risen considerably, with victims on both sides. The accident that took place in Bucharest, with a four year old child being the victim of dogs, is but the tip of the iceberg, seeing how this problem continues to be misused only for material and image related benefits.
Romania of 2013 is a country where deaths resulting from suicide have exceed the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents, where the natural resources and raw materials are sold for negligible amounts, so as to import finite products that are inaccessible for the majority of citizens, where hypocrisy among politicians has reached peaks identical to the poverty endured by most Romanians, whom they are supposed to represent.
This is a country where, in light of the thousands of citizens protesting against yielding crucial natural resources (a decision set to impact on the distant future of the nation) the case of a deceased child is absolute gold for the mass media that are desperate (for money) to ignore the aforesaid events.
The case relating to eighteen children that were “incinerated” at Giulesti Maternity Hospital, because of the Government’s (lead by the PDL Party) imposed decision in favor of staff cutbacks, did not garner nearly as much attention, even more so as the process of identifying guilty persons was limited to hospital premises. This is the background for the current pressure exerted on the legislative body to pass a decision related to the national strategy for stray dogs’ management, a decision which may lead, if taken hurriedly, as requested, for the above reasons, by most mayors, justified by the population that has been “bombed”, misinformed and manipulated by the mass media, to years and years of utter chaos, to a doubling or even tripling of the amounts spent, but in no way to an actual disappearance of stray animals.
Further to all of the above, our Association, as the entity which has long fought and continues to fight to protect animal rights and to ensure that the relevant legislation is observed, is hereby forced to submit the following statements:
- The Legislation has not been amended in any way, killing of pet animals (irrespective of their having an owner or not) continues to be a criminal offense. The hysteria that has been fueled on TV shall not constitute a justification before district attorneys.
- Even if killing of dogs is adopted as the method for management (although, personally, I do not envisage such a possibility), euthanasia shall continue to remain illegal until such law has been published in the Official Gazette.
- Euthanasia constitutes a medical act, it is ascribed exclusively to veterinarians, the only ones competent in this respect. Killing by other means, or by other individuals, shall continue to be a criminal offense.
- Even if euthanasia is applied, the animals continue to be entitled to decent, painless treatment, and cruelty towards animals continues to be a criminal offense.
In relation to the city of Ramnicu Valcea:
- Ramnicu Valcea is the only locality in the county to be endowed with a special Department for Managing the Stray Dogs’ Situation, and with a Shelter operating in accordance with the current legal provisions.
- The Public shelter based at Feteni, managed by Ramnic’s Municipality is the only shelter in the county, with an authorized capacity reaching 250 animals.
- In terms of statements, at least, the local authorities claim they are observing applicable laws and that animals are not being killed through either euthanasia or other methods.
- Although we have received numerous complaints from citizens, according to which animals were being murdered by employees at the said department, that dogs’ bodies were being transported or hidden, we do not have, up to this moment, any conclusive evidence in this respect.
- We hereby make an appeal to all persons able to supply us with such evidence to provide their support, so as to enable us to signal any illegal acts to the competent authorities that are responsible for law enactment.
Such decisions must rely on actual facts, that are concrete and that can be supported with evidence, instead of rumors. Should you have intercepted such a rumor, we kindly request that you do not forward it to us, because it will only cause trouble, instead of helping us.
In the light of current events, the wisest choice, even for local authorities, consists in waiting, therefore it is my belief that no one, at least no one in Ramnicu Valcea, will make any hasty decisions, at a time when thousands of eyes, both in Romania, and aboard, are supervising the local shelter.
Wise decisions are not the result of on-the-spur actions, they require scientific base, as well as precise targets. Personally, I believe that Romania would have become quite a different country if, during the events of 1989, such aspects had been considered, if the population had been immunized against mass media intoxication.
Please let us prove that are no longer mere masses prone to manipulation, that we are mature enough to decide on our future and that the filter of reason does indeed stand between the TV and one’s mind.
Ramnicu Valcea, September 6th, 2013
Iulian Puican,
Chairman of the organisation "A doua sansa-Ramnicu Valcea"
