The European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals

There is a tragedy of an unprecedented scale unfolding right now in a country not so far away.

Romania is heading towards a societal disaster never seen in Europe in recent times!

On 25th September, 2013 Constitutional Court judge Petre Lăzăroiu, suggested that "the mass killing of stray dogs in Romania could traumatize the population"... then the entire place ruled to cull all dogs... and that the eradication of Romania's homeless animals - although it had been ruled unconstitutional in January 2012 - was now "constitutional"! Go figure!

On 25th of September, the Romanian Constitutional Court had an opportunity to define whether Romania is a country worthy of being called civilized or whether it should be consigned to popular perception of a country unworthy of being considered anything other than barbaric, mismanaged, corrupt and dangerous. They chose the latter.

Not only have the Romanian Government dismissed the warnings expressed by the experts, and failed to acknowledge T-N-R as a strategy (ALL 'catch & kill' policies have historically proven unsuccessful) but being aware of the costs and profits to be made from implementing the proposed 'eradication' strategy, are aware that significant personal profits can be made through corrupt alliances.

The net result will be abject strategic failure and the number of animals will not decrease. Through corrupt alliances, personal profits from the animal corpse disposal will have been secured.

But the biggest cost is in the human domain. Children exposed to the capture and often immediate slaughter of the animals will seek to psychologically protect themselves from such trauma. They will desensitize. Reduce their sensitivity towards living creatures including fellow humans. Some will embrace the attributes of their violent society and finding legitimized sanction for the destruction of the animal sub-group, will also aggress against the animals.

There is then some inevitability that once such aggression is socially sanctioned, their journey will continue by aggressing against person, against property. They will see no distinction. Their journey can easily lead to the killing of another person. Significant research has identified this development and ending. This is the slow diminishment of a society's moral substance and gradual increase into a prevalence of violence but a more immediate but equally destructive effect can be seen.

In any society, irrespective of political dictats, there is no homogeneity of support. Emotive issues exacerbate differences. Any society will contain those who passionately support the rights of companion animals and also those who have no regard or who are motivated by political hysteria. At such levels of passion. in counterpoint to each other, this polarization can produce levels of acute violence. Neighbor against neighbor! Even before official recognition of the law in Romania, two neighbors have fought over this issue and one was killed. Even before! One can only stand and watch now and wait while the death count gets higher!

So we have a government introduced policy which at best is ill informed, historically proven to be unsuccessful with previously proven successful strategies dismissed. And on top of all, a strategy which will polarize society resulting in violence between citizens and almost as if to reinforce the evidence that the strategy is ill advised, ill considered and incompetent, the children will be psychologically damaged.

One cannot conceive of a more counter productive, societally destructive direction taken by any European Union Member Government in recent times.

Please: SPEAK UP NOW!

Sign OFA's latest petition which is addressed to:

The European Parliament
The European Commission
The Council of Europe
The European Ombudsman
The European Anti-Fraud Office
The Belgian State Secretary for European Affairs
The European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals

By signing it, the message that you can read in the following link will instantly be sent to all the above mentioned addressees.

You can read more about said petition at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530409383693778&set=a.216201598447893.48092.152547194813334&type=1&theater

► ► or sign it directly at: https://www.change.org/petitions/european-union-please-take-action-regarding-romania-a-european-country-challenging-europe

And PLEASE, if you can, if you have an opportunity:

ADOPT A ROMANIAN STRAY DOG!

Please help to take out as many as we can - out of this country unworthy of being considered anything other than barbaric, mismanaged, corrupt and dangerous and that can best be described as a HELL HOLE for both the dogs who have the misfortune of being born there, and for those who try to protect them.

Please take action .... please speak up!

You HAVE a voice!
Use it!
Speak up for what is morally right, for what your conscience tells you to do!

Don't be silen