Romania

on the greatest animal genocide in European history,

government initiated anarchy, violations of human rights
and children rights
September 26, 2013 - On 10th September the Lower House of
the Romanian Parliament voted GEO 155/2001 to legitimise a
'catch and kill' policy for all homeless animals. The terminology
used during the debate at the parliament was 'eradication'.
Since this date media frenzy has been created because of the
death of a young boy under what remains dubious
circumstances. However the stray animals were blamed and as
a result of the media frenzy and the vote, a state of abuse of
animals exists now in Romania. Animals and their owners and
protectors were immediately, and still are, at serious risk. It
must be remembered that many millions of Romanians are
animal owners or protectors of the animals. This law has
polarized Romania's society and made it dangerously divisive.
There was already danger to people and property in addition to
the threat to the animals... It had to be expected that millions of
animal lovers would seek to protect their own animals or the
animals they 'protect' on the streets. Millions! Half a country
would seek to defend and protect and the other half would seek
to aggress.
How strongly this will be enacted, will determine Romania's
future. Violence against persons is already prevalent and now
that licence is given by the Constitutional Court there will be
neighbor against neighbor... and history has taught the lesson
of violence and destruction in a country divided!
Not only would this policy, bring infamy to Romanian authorities
and by association, with Romania, apparently ill considered is
the fact that an 'eradication' strategy simply will not be
successful. Owned dogs will continue to breed and thereby
ensuring a plentiful and constant supply of animals on the
streets. Occupy for Animals, along with many others, suggested

and still maintains, that keeping dogs on the streets seems to

be a desirable condition in Romania. Resolving the stray
animals issue would leave all those who make big money from it
(including mayors and other politicians who accept bribes)
without their huge profits and that is why a massive, countrywide sterilization campaign that would include ALL owned dogs,
has never even been suggest. Without the sterilization of ALL
owned dogs, Romania's 'eradication program' - just like all other
previous 'catch & kill', or 'catch & incarcerate & starve to death'
policies - will be a futile, very expensive but totally ineffective
policy, given that it addresses the effect but NOT the cause.
The 'Making The Link' Study and Project Group - a major
collaboration of international organisations, academics and
world leading experts in THE LINK between exposure to animal
abuse and the resulting effect on children's psychological health
and development, had warned the Romanian Constitutional
Court that the implementation of GEO 155/2001 - their
'eradication' strategy, which can best be described as
potentially 'the greatest animal genocidal impact on human
health in European history' - would have a deleterious impact of
the health of the children of Romania.
'Making The Link' - initiator Malcolm Plant (BSc, BA (Hons), MSc,
Dipl Psych., Fellow of the Institute for Human-Animal
Connection, University of Denver) wrote (among other):
"We would urge you to re-enforce your decision last year on
precisely the same issue and with no additional changes to
circumstances. Our concern is primarily for the health of the
children which we will be measuring over the next few years.
Academically we are anticipating hitherto profound impact on
the children's health unseen in any previous study if you were
to ratify the proposed amendments. As human beings, as
parents, we are frightened about the effects if the new
generation of Romanians are exposed to street horrors on a
previously unprecedented scale."

On 25th September, 2013 Constitutional Court judge Petre

Lzroiu, 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.
Their approval of, and the implementation of GEO 155/2001
has produced worldwide condemnation and a perception that
Romania is a country which introduces medieval practices and
governs in a draconian mode. Most of the 'civilized' countries
have introduced a 'Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return' policy
and now have very few homeless animals on the streets. This is
a 21st century methodology.
Not only have the Romanian Government dismissed the
warnings expressed by the experts, and failed to acknowledge
this as a strategy but are assuredly aware of the costs and
profits to be made from implementing the proposed
'eradication' strategy knowing that although there will be
significant profits to be made, the net result will be abject
failure and the number of animals will not decrease, all the
while the to be expected exposure to endemic animal abuse on
Romania's streets will have serious ramifications for the health
of Romania's children.