Published May 2002
LGVN Animals- Croatia

Three exclusive stories about the battle for Animal Rights in Croatia

Croatia's recent Anti-Fur Campaign with PETA and "ER" star Goran Višnjic
UK Website Helps Croatian Appeal and New Law
Croatian's Campaign Against Animal Testing on Cosmetics

Veggieglobal Paves Way To Success For Croatian Animal Welfare Bill

London - United Kingdom

A non-profit UK animal friendly website has become a key factor in helping Croatia to establish a major new animal welfare bill.

UK run VeggieGlobal.com is a Looking-Glass.co.uk vegetarian site that also presents various campaigns and appeals of a compassionate nature. The site's VoiceOver campaign has been providing an easy way for its visitors to send letters of protest to world leaders, asking them to stop appalling treatment of animals and the environment, and to consider creating new laws in their country. The current campaign was inspired by a recently formed Croatian animal welfare organisation called Animal Friends. Together, they and VeggieGlobal have helped to flood Croatian president Stjepan Mesic with hundreds of public E-mails from around the world, stressing concern about a barbaric Croatian law. At present, the law allows shocking conducts of animal cruelty that would put any European country to shame. However, in an amazing turn of events the Croatian president has listened and reacted positively.

Hung from the branches of trees
According to Croatian law, any cat or dog more than 300 meters beyond town limits is considered strayed and therefore allowed to be killed. Cats, kittens, dogs and puppies have been found hung from the branches of trees, most notably in the Medjimurje area of Croatia. Throughout the last year, there have also been numerous cases of puppies, dogs and cats being intentionally shot by hunters. In one example over the last few days, a 14-month-old dog was brutally killed by two hunters in front of 12-year-old boy. The incident happened in Slakovci, again in Medjimurje area.
In the Balkans and eastern regions of Europe, animal abuse is widespread, and even before the wars it was common. Similar to countries like Brazil, they culturally view strays in a way the west views cockroaches. In some Eastern European countries where animal welfare education and laws are almost non-existent, cruel and painful acts of killing unwanted animals are rife. Typical methods are tying up live kittens and puppies in airtight bags then throwing them into dustbins. Or else, dumped alive into the sea and rivers. There are also allegations that some governments periodically lay hazardous poison on town streets outside the tourist season, ultimately leading to horrific slow deaths for the animals.

VeggieGlobal has been helping Animal Friends Croatia to put together a draft for this much needed new animal welfare bill, which they want to base mainly on the UK animal protection act with consultations of the German, Swedish and European Union laws. One of the proposals is to introduce a spay and neutering program throughout the entire country, and at the same time an educational program to encourage the Croatian public to learn and ultimately respect the welfare of their animal population.

Right to the heart of International leaders
The response to the Croatian appeal and other online petitions like James Bond star Pierce Brosnan's whale appeal, is showing how the internet is maturing into a useful tool that allows street level interaction from and across all cultures. It can alert and raise awareness right to the heart of international leaders.
VeggieGlobal and Looking-Glass creator John O'Donnell says, "I put the VoiceOver appeal on line in late February 2002 and also alerted a colleague in America who has reliable links with animal groups there". Heather Chase, author and founder of Models with Conscience was distressed by the report and passed the VeggieGlobal details onto the Humane Society of the United States. The combined results meant that hundreds of e-mails flooded the Croatian government.
Animal Friends Croatia only formed at the end of 2001 and is run by a few dedicated pioneers in raising awareness of Croatian animal suffering. "We couldn't believe it when the government contacted us to discuss putting together a new law," says Bernard Vjeran Franolic from Animal Friends. "As a result of the international pressure through the e-mails, our organization's president Domagoj Pintaric was invited to Stjepan Mesic's cabinet", says Bernard. "The outcome of the meeting with Mesic's representative was that Animal Friends were asked to draft a bill for the new animal welfare law of Croatia. I believe it is needless to say how much we were surprised by this turn of events. Actually, we were kind caught off guard, because we weren't expecting anything like this at all!"

Getting the balance right
Animal Friends have now signed a contract with Zagreb's Department of Agriculture and Forestry, who have given them only £400 for a 6 month project to deal with the stray animal problem in the city. Animal Friends' president Domagoj Pintaric is very disappointed and deeply insulted with the contract. "In 6 months, and just £400, we are supposed to solve a problem that the town council weren't capable of dealing with over many years!" Bernard Vjeran Franolic says that the department usually gives £570 each month to various organizations for their projects. "However, many of these organizations are only 'on paper'. They readily take the departments money, but are unable to properly justify on what they are spending it on. And altogether they get £6,830 over the year. Whereby we have £400 for the same period, to deal with the hundreds of stray dogs on the streets of Zagreb".

In the meantime John O'Donnell of VeggieGlobal.com has worked from the UK side, sifting through animal protection acts and amendments from every available resource. "I've been researching, reinterpreting and re-examining ways to wrap together the best of past, present and most importantly, future ideas in managing quality animal welfare from all angles of conservation", says John. "It's a matter of getting the balance right, by designing an overall treatment, which should help the Croatians generate a substantial bill relative to their culture and kind to all their animals". "It's also important that the bill includes clauses on introducing an educational curriculum on the subject of animal treatment. This way, the country's people can be educated to understand the importance of alleviating animal suffering, and at the same time learn to respect and conserve their environment".
The pressure is on in Croatia for Animal Friends' Domagoj Pintaric, who says they are planning to propose a bill that would include banning the following: Experimentation on animals for cosmetic and cleaning products, the fur industry in Croatia, raising and breeding of exotic animal species, circuses with animal acts, transportation of farm animals over Croatian territory, fishing with drift nets, blood sports and dog fights, using animals in pornography, abusing animals for tradition, religious killing and cultural expression.

Amazed
"Animal Friends Croatia and myself are amazed at the compassion Stjepan Mesic has shown towards this appeal", says John O'Donnell. "This simple, straightforward response of good will by a country's president should certainly set a great example for other world leaders to follow. We hope that the Croatian public, and the world can soon applaud Mr. Mesic once this groundbreaking new bill comes into play. We are working on forward thinking outlines at the moment and also hope that the completed bill will stand proud as a useful template for any other country that currently shows negative regard for its animals and environment."

Corporate hospitality with a compassionate twist
"The response by the Croatian Government lays a huge responsibility for all of us concerned in putting this bill together," says John. VeggieGlobal is now looking into ways of generating sponsorship through UK and US animal and environmentally friendly organizations, and even commercial businesses. "It's a bizarre situation really", says John. "Croatia seems unable to afford the costs of putting together the bill's draft, so they can't finance any of the research needed for such an important environmental law.
Compassionate public response to animal welfare appeals is higher in the UK than many other countries. But John O'Donnell feels that since animals don't live by political boundaries, why should one country's animal life suffer so severely against another? "In my view, if any poor country shows the consideration to improve their animal and environmental well-being, but not the money to afford the administrative process, then rich nation corporates can surely offer help by digging into the pockets of their charitable funds", says John
The entire Looking-Glass web system is non-profit and runs on thin air, and VeggieGlobal needs UK sponsorship to help it provide the Croatian group with the support and expertise they desperately need.
John says, "Corporate hospitality for an entire country's animal population, its supporting environment and its future stability… all saved for the cost a few thousand pounds! ... That's how I see it, and it seems like a good deal to me!" "If there are animal friendly funding organizations out there in the UK, then do get in touch with us", he says.

Amongst its other campaigns around the sites, VeggieGlobal.com will continue to support the Croatian appeal. Its parent site, Looking-Glass.co.uk has also launched a major vegetarian / animal testing labelling campaign. "In the meantime we are keeping up the pressure with the Croatian Voice-Over appeal", says John. "This is to ensure that the Croatian government recognize the international importance of making this bill a reality."

Animal Friends Croatia: http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.html

VoiceOver Croatian Appeal www.veggieglobal.com/voiceover

web: www.veggieglobal.com
web: www.looking-glass.co.uk

Book review: "Beauty without the Beasts" by Heather Chase

This article last updated or added to in: May 2002

U.S. Based PETA Launches Its First Animal Rights Campaign in Eastern Europe, with Animal Friends Croatia and "Dr. Kovac"

Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia's most famous export, actor Goran Višnjic, costar of the international smash TV series ER, and Animal Friends Croatia (AFC) have joined with an international pressure group.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in launching its first anti-fur campaign in Eastern Europe.
Višnjic, along with his dog Bugsy, appears on billboards in Zagreb and Split-as well as on leaflets handed out by members of Animal Friends Croatia to fur-wearers walking their dogs in parks throughout Croatia. The leaflets read, "If you wouldn't wear your dog, please don't wear any fur." Says Višnjic, a native of Sibenik, Croatia.
"Somebody once asked me, when war was happening in my country, 'Why don't you do more for humans, against wars?' It's our own stupidity that people are so violent to each other. What people do to animals is a one-sided war, and animals are innocent and cannot protect themselves. We should not wear any animal's fur."
Višnjic wants consumers to know that for each fur coat, collar, or cuff, animals are trapped, drowned, or beaten to death in the wild or gassed, strangled, or electrocuted on fur farms.
He was inspired to speak out after seeing a magazine article featuring fur.
"[My wife and I] were disgusted," he said. "What's going on? Civilization is advancing, but some people are going backwards. Today we can use many different materials to warm ourselves without killing other beings."

Višnjic is the latest celebrity to join fashion designer Stella McCartney, rock and dance stars P!nk and Sophie E. Bextor, and Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson in PETA's Anti-Fur Campaign. He joined the cast of ER in 1999, playing the role of Dr. Luka Kovac, a Croatian doctor who immigrated to the United States after the violent deaths of his wife and children.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world's largest animal rights organization, with offices in Germany, India, the U.K., and New York City and more than 750,000 members and supporters.

Animal Friends Croatia: http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.html

This article last updated or added to in: April 2003

Croatian's Campaign Against Animal Testing on Cosmetics

Croatian celebrities recently helped to launch an anti-vivisection billboard campaign, organized by Animal Friends Croatia. The posters are directed at specific cosmetics companies who still test on animals.

Read "Croatia - Land of Cruelty", an article by Croatia on these issues click here

Animal Friends Croatia: http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.html

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