Romania
Well, sadly I am unable to bring good news as at Oct 2008. Things will no doubt change in time. It’ll take too long, far too long for the feral cats and dogs and wildlife of Romania who are meant to be protected by Romanian animal welfare law but are not because of poor drafting of the law and the lack of enforcement. There are other issues such as a lack of education as to animal welfare at a grass roots level. There would also seem to be corruption at local government level and organized crime. Then there is the EU. Romania joined the EU/EEC in 2007. Some would argue that it happened too soon as there is continuing organized crime in Romania (at 2008).
The EU constitution in respect of animal welfare is not yet in force. Yet the EU could do more to push Romania in the right direction. Romania has a lot of catching up to do after a communist dictatorship and it will take time. There is rank cruelty and brutality against animals particularly stray dogs (and I presume cats). The purpose of allowing Romania to join the EU was to bring the country up to the standard of the EU for the benefit of Europe generally. Can someone in authority in Romania please prioritize animal welfare? One last controversial point. Dictatorships (communist or otherwise) are bad for animal welfare. Dictators are self interested alpha males. They are concerned about themselves and not others and that includes animals.
See: Cat Animal Cruelty Laws Romania for the law, comments and more. Romania were not ready to join the European Union (EU) but the politicians were desparate to expand the EU for their own ends. This will cost them dear. Their laws in respect of animal welfare and their enforcement fall short of the criteria for joining the EU. But who cares in the corridors of power in Strasbourg or Brussels?
Croatia
At October 2008, Croatia is not yet a member of the European Union but they applied in 2003. They would hope to join as I understand it in 2009 or 2010.
Update April 2011: Croatia expect to join in 2013-14. They will join because there is an underlying desire to expand the EU. Many people don’t iike the idea, however. The act of applying for EU/EEC membership should assist the animals of Croatia as prospective member states are required to demonstrate that they are able to become fully compliant with the EEC’s copious legislation that it is intended to unify Europe. That means the Croatian law in respect of animal welfare needs to be similar to the law of other established members of the EEC.
In preparation for that state of affairs applicants upgrade their laws. Will Croatia comply? Can they comply? And will the EU be strict about encuring tht Croatia does comply with EU animale welfare laws? Probably not. Croatia is gradually moving in the right direction but would seem to have a way to go. One issue is the need to change the attitudes of the people of Croatia towards animals. It is said that laws can change attitudes over time.
But at present, the attitudes of many Croatians, it seems, are rooted in the past and there is an underlying attitude towards animals that is not beneficial to their welfare (wrong? – comment here please – takes you to a blogger site). With corruption and organized crime widespread in Croatia at 2008, there is little prospect of laws being enforced efficiently. And unregulated hunting will no doubt be permitted well into the future. The corruption and crime is not, it seems, slowing down the process of becoming a member of the EU. On 1st January 2007 the Animal Protection Act 2006 came into force. See the Croatia Animal Protection Act plus some comment.
Philippines
It is not all bad in the Philippines regarding animal welfare. But extreme brutality against companion animals is, it seems, commonplace. Some people in this country like to eat dogs (and I presume cats). They maltreat dogs and cats. It is a business, the rounding up, brutalizing and killing of stray animals. Yet there is legislation at national and local government levels for the protection of animals and a wonderful animal welfare society – PAWS – The Philippine Animal Welfare Society. There is also the Palawan Animal Welfare Association doing good work in dealing with stray dogs humanely.
There are good things happening. But the government drags its feet in implementing the legislation and most importantly enforcing it. This is a familiar problem in countries with a long tradition of treating animals in a less than caring manner. It is a culture thing. Some people in the Philippines see animals to be used unsentimentally as if they have no emotions and feel no pain. They will treat them as inanimate objects.
It would seem that three major things need to happen. People need to be educated away from animal cruelty and the concept that companion animals are food. Companion animals are for companionship. Secondly the people who create the stray (feral) dog and cat problem must be punished and the law enforced generally. Thirdly the brutal killing of feral companion animals must stop and proper and progressive trap, neuter and release programs substituted. Killing does not solve the problem, it perpetuates it. Does the government of the Philippines want to solve the feral cat and dog problem? Or is business involved? See The Animal Welfare Act 1998, some local legislation and lots more comment: Philippines Cat Animal Welfare Protection. If you’d like to comment please go to this page: Cat and Dog Cruelty in the Philippines. Or if you’ve got time please read this section: Your Contribution.
First off I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question
that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how
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I have had trouble clearing my mind in getting my thoughts
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like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted simply just
trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Appreciate it!
Hi Carlo, There there is no easy way or trick to preparing for an article. The better you know your subject the easier it is of course. At the moment I am dictating my articles using software called Dragon Dictate. I find it easier to write through dictation because when you type that can be a distraction to thinking or it can hold up one’s thought processes. Perhaps above all, the key is to know your subject well and then it’s just a matter of practice. The better you know the subject the more everything falls into place almost immediately and after that it is simply a matter of ensuring that the facts are correct or one states an opinion and you make that clear.
Michael, you need to take care. I don’t trust this guy. 9 13 18
Thanks.
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The title was an attempt years ago to improve search engine optimisation. It did not work but it cannot be changed now. Also the subject matter is somewhat boring anyway!
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Hi Michael,
Interesting to read about the variations in animal laws in different countries. While all countries have a very long ways to go in creating new animal laws and improving existing laws, it’s clear that some countries do very little to protect the animals.
India animal laws is possibly the most interesting study since they have such a strong tradition of respecting life in it’s many forms. The West is having a negative impact on them in this regard. More and more fast food restaurants such as McDonalds (where they serve hamburgers) are showing up. Hollywood is a negative influence. The desire to be more like the West is eroding traditional ethics.
You made a critical point when you said that the laws reflect the attitudes of a society. They also reflect our general indifference toward non-human animals. We forget that we’re just another animal on the third rock from the sun. With our superior reasoning capability shouldn’t we be animal guardians rather than opportunists? I see animals as little brothers that should be protected.
The police and the military protect the humans. Who protects the animals?
I’ve got a question for you: The meat part of the food industry is in such high demand that the meat industry has an enormous amount of power to protect it’s current and future profits. How does a small and relatively weak organization or a single person introduce an animal rights bill to become a law when the opposition seems impenetrable? I’ve always wondered that.
Interesting read, thanx,
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
Well big business with politicians run the world. Big business does not generally care about animals in an way. Never mind ‘animal rights’. That is why the world’s resources are being used up and wild cat habitat destroyed. Animals are vulnerable to the top predator: humans.