Filenews 27 January 2023
The Party for the Animals is surprised by the Attorney General's opinion "which effectively criminalises the feeding of animals by volunteers and which shows that not all animal welfare and protection considerations have been taken into account". At the same time, it invites the Attorney General to re-examine the opinion.
In a statement, he said:
The Party for the Animals of Cyprus considers that based on article 18(A) of the 46(I)1994 on the protection and welfare of animals, the Municipalities and Communities should have designated feeding places for cats from the first day of the adoption of the relevant amendment. To date, we have not seen this happen in practice. Much worse, the relevant article does NOT oblige municipalities and communities to designate feeding areas but simply gives it the opportunity: "18A. The competent local authorities may designate special feeding and drinking areas for stray animals within the municipal or community boundaries of the area where they exercise their powers.'
The essence has finally been overlooked, since the municipalities and communities were left untouched, they did not by definition proceed to designate feeding areas and the whole responsibility and effort was left to the volunteers and rescuers, (and never cooperated harmoniously) who now risk being punished criminally for their sensitivity towards stray animals!
We call on the Attorney General to re-examine his relevant opinion so that volunteers, who have dried up financially but also on a personal and family level, are not targeted.
The Party for the Animals of Cyprus will not let the situation derail, it will not let any animal die of hunger and thirst because the only concern of some is to implement an opinion that does not express the spirit of the law, condemning in essence the innocent animals and because until today the state itself has not taken care and has not proceeded to the creation of appropriate infrastructure (feeders, etc.) for care and protection of stray animals.
