site.btaWorld Stray Animals Day Marked in Bulgaria

On the occasion of World Stray Animals Day, April 4, various initiatives across Bulgaria are organized to encourage people to help strays. The day has been observed around the globe annually since 2010 to raise awareness about the suffering of stray animals. 

In Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria), the municipality will mark World Stray Animals Day with an event in the city centre, where stray dogs from the municipal shelter will meet with citizens from 11 am to 2 pm. Among the special guests of the event will be therapy dog Atos, who for several years has been working with children at the local pediatric ward, and stray cat Goshko, who has been living at the Ivan Vazov National Library in Plovdiv. A charity sale will also be held.

In Veliko Tarnovo (North Central Bulgaria), the 2nd edition of the Za Lapichka s Lyubov [For Paw with Love] initiative will raise food products for the municipal dog shelter near the city. From April 4 to 20, anyone who wants to help can purchase dog food from specific shops in Veliko Tarnovo and place them in designated boxes in those shops. Last year’s edition of the campaign, organized by Rotaract Club, had people donating food, vaccines, and repair materials for the shelter.

In Botevgrad (Western Bulgaria), kindergartens launch a common charity campaign Stotinki za Chetirinogite ni Priyateli [Pennies for Our Four-legged Friends]. It will raise funds for the stray animals at the municipal shelter. The campaign will be on until December 1. 

Similar initiatives will be held in other settlements across Bulgaria.

Stray animals have been a problem in this country for many years. They are protected under the Animal Protection Act of 2008, and violence against them constitutes a crime under the Penal Code. According to the Animal Protection Act, municipalities are responsible for the strays on their territory. 

Last year, the local chapter of the Four Paws animal welfare organization conducted a survey to determine the public attitudes towards the measures to reduce the number of stray dogs. Asked who is responsible for there being stray animals, 56.6% of respondents blamed uncaring owners who abandon their pets, 25.9% municipalities which lack a consistent polity on the issue, 9.1% the government for not supporting local authorities, and 4.1% nongovernmental organizations. Asked what the best solution to the problem is, 38.9% said castration, vaccination, deworming, and return of the animals to where they were caught (except for those proven aggressive and terminally ill) and 37,4% called for accommodation at a municipal shelter. Just over 9.4% called for capture and euthanasia of strays and 5.8%, for elimination through poisoning or hunting.  

The World Health Organization recommends castration as one of the most effective steps to reduce the number of stray cats and dogs. 

World Stray Animals Day was launched in 2010, when the Dutch National Stray Animals Conference brought together more than 100 organizations wishing to draw attention to the hundreds of millions of stray animals in the world. April 4 was selected because it is six months from World Animal Day.