Current government has provided no solution for animal cruelty: CSPCA

The current government is completing its term without any solution to the issue of animal protection, the Cyprus Cyprus Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) said on Tuesday.

In an official letter sent to President Nicos Anastasiades and the ministers of agriculture and the interior, CSPCA President Toula Poyiadji said that despite the president’s commitment to implement European conventions on the matter, the laws are disregarded on a daily basis not only by citizens but also by state agencies, such as the veterinary services, the police and local authorities.

The problem is far reaching, which has repercussion for society, public health and the economy, the CSPCA said.

Recommendations made on the matter to the minister of agriculture three years ago have been ignored, CSPCA continued, and volunteers and animal lovers are left to bear the burdens which are the state’s responsibility.

“You are leaving, we will remain and continue our struggle,” the CSPCA letter concluded.

Poyiadji has previously stated that laws dating from 2002, regarding abandoned dogs in particular, have yet to be seriously implemented and thousands of people operate outside of the law in terms of keeping dogs as pets.

The laws require dog owners to microchip their dogs and pay a dog licence fee, as well as a fee for dog breeding, which must likewise be reported.

“It doesn’t matter how may shelters are built, the stray dog problem will persist,” Poyiadji said. “By building more shelters we are simply encouraging unscrupulous citizens to abandon animals.”