On June 21, 2022, the municipality of Gjilan has signed a contract in the amount of €18,500.00 with the economic operator “Monuni SHPK” for the treatment of about 250 stray dogs with the CNVR method (catch, neuter, vaccinate, release).

Even though we were offered cooperation (verbally) by the director of agriculture in the municipality of Gjilan, Mr. Bajram Isufi, during the implementation of this project so far, our requests have been ignored by Mr. Isufi and the Municipality of Gjilan.

We have asked for photos of the place of capture and release for each treated dog, and we have also asked to know the locations of the release of the dogs treated so far, but we have not received any response from the municipality. The contracted company and the Municipality officials are not interested in cooperating with the citizens regarding the release of the dogs and their welfare. How is public money being spent by this directorate?

We also have complaints about the duration of the dogs’ hospitalization after surgery, as we have noticed that the dogs are being released from the treatment center very quickly (if they are released at all), in violation of the Administrative Instruction (MAFRD) 04/2017 for the technical conditions of which must be met by temporary care centers for stray animals. The vet and the municipality can argue that the dogs are recovering quickly and there is no need for longer hospitalization, but in this case, it should not be a problem to share the locations of the treated dogs to prove the correct surgical treatment of dogs. However, it is worth noting that every dog ​​after surgery (especially females that are sterilized) must stay at least 5 days to fully heal. It is a violation of animal welfare to release them with fresh wounds.

It is also more important to document every process of treating dogs to guarantee correct spending of public money.

Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency (KFVA), after our complaint, has sent inspectors to inspect the work of veterinarians, but even the veterinary inspectors were not given the release locations, since the contracted company is used to working in violation of the legal provisions and they know exactly that there is no authority that punishes them. KFVA has never punished the negligent or suspicious work of veterinarians. KFVA officials know best the reasons for this inaction.

For this mismanagement by the Municipality and for our suspicions that stray dogs are being euthanized/killed or released in a completely different place, our organization will take legal steps to guarantee animal welfare and correct spending of public money.

CNVR projects, but also other projects focused on dog population management, must be transparent and open to the community, because only with cooperation with the community and civil society can these projects achieve a desired effect.

Public money should not be used for urgent projects without real monitoring and assessment of the effect of the projects. The latter are so far lacking in the municipality of Gjilan and many other municipalities in Kosovo.

If the institutions in Kosovo are interested in working seriously and transparently to reduce the number of dogs on the street, they should be more open to citizens about the measures they undertake and monitor them properly.

The company in question receives 18,500 euros for two months and does not feel obligated to provide a detailed account or report for the work since the Municipality of Gjilan is silent in this regard.