We are devastated to report that four innocent dogs were poisoned on a children’s playground in the village of Bostane in the municipality of Novo Brdo. This heinous act took place on the property of the church in Bostan and was captured on video. A land farm worker was caught on camera throwing food to the dogs, after which they were found dead.
We contacted the police and prosecution to take immediate action and bring the perpetrator to justice. The Police and Prosecution did a good job to take this case on and the prosecutor in charge asked our organisation to assist on contacting veterinary inspectors to write a report for the poisoned dogs as officially, no veterinary inspector is appointed to work during the weekends or festive days. This fact is concerning and must be changed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development with the assistance of the Prime Minister Office, to build a stronger veterinary inspection system which does not require inspectors to volunteer in cases like this. The protection of animal health and wellbeing is a 24/7 commitment, and we urge the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development and the Food and Veterinary Agency, to work on fixing this important pilar of animal welfare and public health protection.
Poisoning innocent animals is a serious crime based on Article 346 of the Criminal Code of Republic of Kosovo that must not go unpunished. Not only is this act cruel and heartless, but it also poses a risk to public safety. We will be in contact with the Basic Prosecution of Gjilan to make sure that the perpetrator will be sanctioned with maximum sentence as foreseen by law.
We thank “Udruženje za zaštitu životinja ‘Šapa’” / Animals Protection Association ‘Paw’” for having alerted us immediatly about this case and for doing such a great work to directly protect and rescue companion and stray animals in North Mitrovica and in the serbian majority communities in Kosovo.
We also thank the Directorate of the Inspectorate within the FVA, who, despite not being on official duty during the weekend, still reacted quickly to this case.
Education is key to preventing such tragic incidents from happening in the future. We must teach others to respect and protect animals, and to report any suspicious behavior towards them. Let’s stand together to ensure that justice is served for these poor dogs and to prevent such cruel acts from happening again.
ARF will continue to support people, governmental and non-governmental organisations to ensure a strong foundation of an animal welfare & health control system in Kosovo.
We must all work together to protect our beloved animals and make our communities safer for all!