Step forward for animal welfare unit in national guard

The Animal Party and the defence ministry discussed the implementation of a scheme to provide a special unit for animal welfare in the national guard, the party said on Friday.

Setting up the unit was agreed last year by the ministry and the party as many abandoned dogs are found in and around army camps.

On Thursday, head of the party Kyriacos Kyriacou and two senior army officers discussed the ways for the agreement will be implemented.

“The positive response and today’s decision now lays the foundations with which the national guard will no longer throw away food which has not been eaten by the soldiers but instead it will be used to feed animals in shelters in our country,” the Animal Party commented.

“Also today we had the opportunity to hear through the two officers present that the national guard agrees to our proposal to create a dog unit / K9 unit.”

The unit will have the responsibility of managing stray animals for free. It was decided it will offer additional services currently provided by the respective police unit.

It will be independent and report directly to a senior army officer and will be based in Nicosia.

As part of the aim to raise awareness among soldiers, talks and seminars in all camps will be organised on animal welfare and the management of abandoned animals.

The party announced it will provide more details of the agreement to animal welfare organisations, volunteers and shelters at a later stage.

“The culture and moral progress of a society is judged by the way it treats its animals,” the statement concluded.