[size=75:3krt5pib]novinite 30 March 2010

Bulgaria to Propose Jail Time for Animal Cruelty

Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov, is proposing 1 to 5 years behind bars for individuals convicted of committing acts of cruelty against animals.

The amendment will be included in the new Penal Code, and was triggered by Bulgaria's latest animal cruelty case where an unknown perpetrator cut the four paws of a dog in the town of Dryanovo.

The amendment was requested from Naydenov by representatives of animal rights organizations, who met with the Agriculture Minister Tuesday. Meanwhile, an online petition collected thousands of signatures for incriminating acts of animal cruelty.

The amendments will be prepared by a working group of lawyers, Members of the Parliament and NGOs.

I wonder if that will apply to the local councils who tag wild dogs then leave them to freeze in the winter



Mike

About time and all,Bulgaria will be a lonely place when they are all behind bars. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

well its a start and for the better, have to say i have seen younger bugarians walking dogs on leads, so this is progress and hopefully this ritual of tying dogs on chains in all weathers will finally come to an end, at last.

We went down to the market last Sunday,on the way a horse drawn carriage was pulling a Foal along who looked so emaciated that his ribs were on full view! disgusting [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[size=75:1ttxplli]novinite 7 April 2010

Bulgaria Animal Cruelty Perpetrators Face Harsh Penalties

he amendments in the Bulgarian Penal Code making cruelty against animals a criminal act are ready, Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov, announced Wednesday.

In cases of cruelty, leading to the death or permanent injuries for the animal, the punishment will now be jail time between 1 and 3 years and a fine between BGN 5 000 and BGN 15 000.

If the cruelty is a repeated act or is perpetrated before children, the penalty is up to 5 yeas behind bars and the fine increases – from BGN 10 000 to BGN 30 000.

Naydenov is convinced the majority in the Parliament will pas the new amendments.

The swift reaction was triggered by Bulgaria's latest animal cruelty case where an unknown perpetrator cut the four paws of a dog in the town of Dryanovo.

A week ago, the amendments were requested from Naydenov by representatives of animal rights organizations. Meanwhile, an online petition collected thousands of signatures for incriminating acts of animal cruelty.

The amendments have been prepared by a working group of lawyers, Members of the Parliament and NGOs.

But will they enforce it? There are already laws against animal cruelty here - not enforced. I sincerely hope that they do but I'll save my breath to cool my porridge as the saying goes....

Last summer I witnessed a small puppy being stoned to death. I arrived too late to save it, and it was it's dying screams of pain that alerted me that something was going on. It was stoned to death by a group of children - one as young as 8 or 9 - at the instigation of an elderly villager. The reason for this cruel death? The puppy had a small area of mange and was "
diseased"
and stones are free.....although a youngster with a pellet gun/air rifle was also encouraged to shoot at it too...

I will never forget those screams as long as I live. I still feel terrible guilt that I didn't hear the sounds and register what they were sooner, or run faster to where this was happening. I don't think I have ever felt so enraged in all my life as I did that day when I realised what was happening - nor so impotent.

We were renting a house in that village, and that incident so coloured my view of that village - and the shrugged shoulders couldn't give a toss attitude of some of those villagers - that I was glad to be gone from there. This act was, in my opinion, was out and out barbarism. It was a very small pup, and if the wretch who instigated this medieval act wanted to kill it, he could easily have broken it's neck, which would at least have been mercifully quick, but no, evidently not as much fun as stoning.

I haven't so far witnessed anything like that in Elhovo nor in the village where our own house is, but I have no doubt that it goes on here, there and elsewhere.

[size=75:2ndab8tm]Focus 7 April 2010

People in Burgas collect signatures for incriminating cruelty to animals

Burgas. Citizens in coastal Burgas collect signatures in support of incriminating of cruelty to animals. The initiator of the national subscription for the city is :: of the Animal - Burgas foundation, Meglena Ivanova member of the foundation said, Currently the law provides only administrative punishment in the form of a fine. The conservation organization is seeking an effective penalty for violence to animals. According to Ivanova, it is an act which is interpreted as offense in other countries.

This is a bit of good news maybe this will make the Bulgarians think twice about how they treat their animals

[size=75:14wts1y9]waz.euobserver.com 15 April 2010

Bulgaria Mulls Jailing Animal Abusers after Dog Is Maimed

Bulgaria is considering beefing up its animal protection legislation and even jailing abusers, after an unknown assailant cut off the four legs of a dog, prompting angry protests across the country.

Dobromir Koziradski from the central Bulgarian town of Dryanovo found his female dog Mima with all of her legs axed off at the end of March.

The bleeding animal was in shock, biting her tongue in pain. Today, her life is out of danger, as she was taken to the vet immediately. Yet she cannot stand on what is left of her limbs but only lies on her back.

The savage laming resulted in mass indignation across the country. People rallied peacefully in the capital Sofia and seven other cities urging tougher laws against animal abuse.

A Facebook group demanding "
imprisonment of the ****** who cut off the legs of the dog from Dryanovo"
swiftly attracted 240,000 supporters in 7.7 million-strong Bulgaria.

So far nobody has been charged with crippling Mima, although the dog's owner has his suspicions about who might be responsible. Weeks after being maimed, the dog was adopted by Violeta Dobreva, from the Danube city of Ruse. She is looking for ways to make prostheses for Mima, so that the dog can stand up and move independently.

In a meeting with animal protection activists, Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Naidenov pledged legal proposals to dissuade violence against animals.

The government has asked parliament to introduce up to three years imprisonment and fines from the equivalent of €2,500 to €7,500 for abuse that entails the death or permanent bodily damage of an animal.

The proposed legal amendment envisions even harsher treatment of recurrent offenders and those who mistreat animals in front of young children - up to five years in prison and fines of between €5,000 and €15,000. The toughest punishment for such offences under the current law is a fine of up to €250.

It is not clear when the lawmakers will act.

Animal rights activists say that sadistic treatment of animals - such as hanging cats and dogs - is a commonplace in Bulgaria. Mr Naidenov believes it is largely due to public impatience with the growing number of stray dogs in cities, which often attack people. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable.

Municipal authorities have so far failed to adequately address the issue, he said. There are some 9,000 stray dogs in Sofia alone, according to government estimates.