Mission Possible - Abandoned Animal Control Program in Eastern Europe

Mission Possible, Presentation on Abandoned Animal Control Program in Eastern Europe

1. MISSION POSSIBLE
Running an Abandoned Animal
Control Program in Eastern Europe
Ivan Kurajov
Society for the Protection of Animals ::LJUBIMCI ::
Pancevo - Serbia

2. Is it really possible???

3. Define your:
•Problems
•Position
•Goals and objectives
•Partners
•Actions
•Program
•Plans of implementation

4. Be very:
•Realistic
•Specific
•Clear
•Visible Loud!

5. Initial situation
•No state or municipal legal procedure
•Packs of dogs in the streets
•Problems with abandoned animal bites
•No cooperation with state bodies or
organisations
•Shelters without any protocols or control
•All other problems you can imagine…

6. Streets in 2008. and 2009.

7. Start small – grow fast
•First animal welfare law was adopted in 2009.
•All municipalities have to create program for stray
animal control
•Pancevo city created first street animal welfare
working group in 2007.
•First Abandoned Animal Control Program presented
in the same year
•Other municipal legal documents and practices were
presented or established from 2010-2015.

8. Program outlines
First of its kind in Serbia and it consists of :
•Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release procedure
•Microchipping all treated animals
•Education program
•Rehoming of shelter and street animals
•Animal welfare and protection promotion

9. Actions & Campaigns
Our organisation together with different partners has undertaken numerous actions and campaigns in aim to
promote, support and develop the program:
•Rehomed, treated and spayed/ neutered thousands of abandoned animals
•Animal welfare and protection issues promoted at numerous events and festivals
•Education events and seminars for responsible owners, street animal caregivers and animal control officers
and handlers
•Conferences and seminars with international speakers organized for municipal officers, public shelter
managers and animal welfare organisations
•Together with local media we are issuing weekly educative articles about animal handling and responsible
ownership
•Street animal houses construction- campaigns and actions of building and placing temporary animal
houses
•Animal bites control act was drafted by our organization and was accepted by the local government (aim of
this act is to control, process and prevent street animal attacks)
•Strict control of the public shelter work was introduced- better animal handling and care within this
institution
•First animal friendly secondary school was presented in 2015. - first school of this kind in Serbia
•Educative presentations about animals, animal welfare and protection program were presented in many
schools and kindergartens
•Animal and pet friendly locations and businesses organized and promoted

10. Results
•Visible after 4 years of implementation of abandoned animal population
control program
•2010 - number of caught dogs and cats by the public animal control
company was about 2400 ,most of them were euthanized or have died in
public shelter due to the poor handling and lack of proper care
•2015 number of caught animals was about 600 and 70% of them were
taken back to the streets after the sterilisation, vaccination and treatment
or they were rehomed in cooperation with our organization.
•Problems caused by street animals significantly decreased
•Compared with similar sized cities in last 3 years, other cities had 300
percent increase compared with Pancevo due to the fact that there are no
clear animal control programs or there is a lack of their implementation
•Amount of money spent during the implementation of the program is the
same or even lower than before

11. From being stray and unwanted- street
animals became city animals with
caregivers and street houses

12. Push your:
•Limits
•Volunteers 
•Creativity

13. Street animal houses construction

14. Consctructing the Hero dog monument–
first of its kind in the region

15. No matter how small you are, or how
your mission may look impossible
Yes you can!

16. Thank you for your attention!
Contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]