29 September 2004, Graberje
Pregnant female dog was found in forest Graberje in Kustosija (Zagreb). Dog was chained to a tree and left to die of cold, hunger and thirst. Luckily, reporter of Croatian radio found the dog and is now looking for a new home for the dog and her puppies that will be born very soon. This is only the beginning of this pre-holiday black chronicle.



4 December 2004, Zagreb
Already well known notorious ‘monster of Pescenica' Ostoja Babic, takes his place in the black chronicle. He savagely beat to death his one-year-old dog because she didn't bark at passers-by but happily waged her tail. After he beat her for an hour with an iron bar, a pitchfork and an axe, the policeman who was called by the neighbors mercifully shot the poor animal. Police pressed criminal charges against criminal Ostoja Babic.



13 December 2004, Gospic
Covered in blood, frozen and without the right eye, a body of a cat was found in front of Saint Marija Magdalena chapel. Cigarette was burning out in the mouth of the poor animal which didn't seem to be a stray. It isn't sure whether the animal was killed by a broken liquor bottle or was she forced to drink liquor or the liquor helped in gathering the strength of sick minds that tortured the animal.



17 December 2004, Rijeka
After a two weeks long search for six-month old white Labrador Frodo, his owners found him brutally killed and covered with rocks nearby their home in Gornja Drenava. The autopsy showed that somebody shot the dog with an unknown weapon. Only white paws stood out of the pile of rocks, and neighbors who found the dog thought he was slaughtered because he lied on his back with his body torn open from neck down to his stomach. Exit wound in his chest was a size of a handball. Police made a report and that's where the investigation ended.



17 December 2004, island of Rab
On a deserted part of island Rab, in Punta Sorinjo, on Friday 10 griffon vultures were found dead, lead shot was found in three of them. One vulture is saved and fights for his life at Eco Center on island Cres. Supposedly somebody placed poisoned bates and then shot at the birds.



It is suspected that this crime against highly endangered griffon vultures, there is only 200 of them in Croatia, was committed by two hunters from Lopar on island Rab, which allegedly publicly bragged with their act. In August one vulture was found shot at the same place, and lately three more. The most certain reason for murder of vultures is that Eco center Caput Insulae asks for closing down of all hunting areas in all islands of Kvarner.



18 December 2004, Novi Vinodolski
Hunters shot down two dogs of their fellow hunter even though they knew dogs weren't strays. With this act they confirmed the arrogance of Croatian hunters and strong hunting lobby that rampages throughout Croatia without any sanctions.



19 December 2004, Ivankovo
In place Ivankovo, near Vinkovci, in front of a dog owner who walked her own and a dog of her neighbor, hunter wounded her dog and shot neighbor's Dalmatian. After the shooting, when asked why he did it, hunter, who refused to identify himself, answered that it is his right and if she has further questions she can contact local hunting alliance. Although she called the police, police did nothing but advised her to contact local hunting alliance where hunters will probably call on notorious Article 54 of Hunting law.



Question imposes: how long will Croatian legal system turn its head in front of common crimes against animals and silently approve them? Current Animal Welfare Act of Croatia mildly punishes perpetrators, therefore it URGENTLY needs to be changed. Furthermore, without changes in the Hunting Law and the fight against arrogance of hunters, without public condemnation and strict penalties, laws and regulations will stay a dead letter.



Croatia celebrates the beginning of the negotiations with the EU, and at the same time crimes against animals and environment happen all the time, which can be seen from just a few of the abovementioned examples.



In this regards, I strongly urge you to make necessary changes in the existing Animal Welfare Act of Croatia and striclty penalize perpetrators of crimes against animals.



Yours sincerely,

(Your name and country)


Please send letters to the following email adresses

- office-AT-mps.hr
Mr. Nenad Matic, the spokesman for Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Croatia)

eurobarometer-AT-cec.eu.int
(EU Public Opinion e-mail:)

- trade-A3-AT-cec.eu.int

agri-library-AT-cec.eu.int
(EU Agriculture)

Croatian Embassy USA - amboffice-AT-croatiaemb.org; dcm-AT-croatiaemb.org; political-AT-croatiaemb.org