A preliminary investigation was ordered the Prosecutor’s Office of Volos for the two mangers with animals, which the Municipality installed in the square of Ag. Nikolaou and in the R. Feraiou park for the holidays.

According to gegonota.news, the Municipality of Volos is being sued by the Veterinary Association and animal welfare organizations for animal abuse in Christmas nativity scenes that have been set up. Veterinarians and animal welfare organizations request the removal of the animals immediately, with the application of the letter of the Law.

As they note, the actions of the Municipality of Volos are in direct conflict with the legislation but also many times with issues related to the culture of our country and our value system.

THE president of the Veterinary Association of Magnesia, Mr. Pavlos Stamopoulos he emphasized that animals are not a public spectacle for the adornment of the city, living souls are not part of a show and we will demand that the Law be followed immediately by both the police and the prosecution, without any delay. Animal abuse is a felony,” said Mr. Stamopoulos.

The law

According to Law 4830/2021 an animal lives in welfare conditions if:

(a) is assured of comfortable, safe, healthy and suitable accommodation, adapted to his natural way of life,

(b) does not suffer from conditions such as pain, fear and distress and

(c) is able to express behaviors, which are important for his good physical and mental condition. Also the well-being rules include among others:

Freedom from needless suffering and strain, with safe and clean housing and rest accommodation, sheltered from adverse weather conditions.
Freedom from fear and anxiety, with appropriate behavior and treatment.
Freedom to express normal behavior, with appropriate living and socializing conditions.
Also, paragraph 2 of article 23 states, among other things, that “events with the participation of animals in the context of observing popular or local traditions are allowed exclusively, if the well-being of the animals is ensured and with the mandatory presence of a veterinarian throughout the event. The abuse and slaughter of animals is strictly prohibited in this context.

An event with the participation of an animal or animals is licensed by decision of the municipal council of the municipality where the event will be held. The Supervising Veterinarian prepares a pre-event report, which is submitted to the city council prior to approving the event and which forms an integral part of the city council’s decision. The supervising veterinarian draws up a new report after the end of the event, in which he confirms that the welfare of the animal or animals that participated in the event was not violated.’

In order to draw safe conclusions about the extent to which these animals are being abused, it is important to separate abuse incidents into active and passive abuse incidents.

Active abuse exists when the abuse is done directly such as intentional intoxication (poisoning), drowning, shooting an animal and many other similar cases.

Passive abuse is that which is exercised indirectly on animals such as deprivation of food and water, confinement of the animal, placement of the animal in a place where intense stress is caused and many other similar cases.

Based on the above, it is clear that when the animals are in a limited space and come into contact with thousands of people and vehicles every day, which are a particularly sterogenic factor, not enough of the conditions that ensure their well-being and are clearly defined by the applicable legal framework. These animals suffer passive abuse which is summarized in the following points:

1) They do not live in accommodation adapted to their natural way of life
2) They suffer from fear and anxiety several hours of the day
3) They cannot express behaviors appropriate and important for their good physical and especially mental condition
4) They suffer and strain unnecessarily
5) The mandatory presence of a veterinarian is not observed throughout the event

The Veterinary Association of Magnesia is unanimously opposed to any procedure that seriously calls into question the rights of animals and does not obey rules that ensure their well-being.