Today is World Animal Day
animals
04 Oct 2018
/ 08:51
CORFU. The responsible Corfu Deputy Mayor Leonidas Pangratis writes about this special international day.
The way to celebrate World Animal Day is by respecting animals' rights. Not exerting power over their lives and not using violence against them - they have no way of defending themselves.
The American inventor Thomas Edison once said: "Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
Unfortunately, we often witness violent attacks on animals to a greater or lesser degree. Violence can be abandoning an unwanted animal - too old or too ill - without caring about what will happen to it.
Violence is keeping it in permanent confinement in a hellish kennel - often without enough food and water. Violence is keeping an animal permanently chained up in hot and cold weather. And violence is the way some people make out that female animals shouldn't be sterilised because it's unpleasant for them or it's against nature and then throw the new-born animals away outside other houses or in refuse bins.
On this year's World Animal Day let's resolve to celebrate it 365 days a year. Let's become more active. Let's not just take it for granted that someone else will solve the problems.
If necessary, call an animal welfare group or the Municipal animal welfare service. If we see a case of animal abuse - even if it is passive abuse, such as keeping it permanently chained up etc. - call the police. It is not necessary for the citizen to press charges as these offences are automatically punishable by law.
It is cause for optimism, however, that awareness is increasing in more and more members of the public, who now support helpless animals in a variety of ways. Some give financial support to animal welfare activities and others give voluntary help. Let these be an example to all of us so that we can finally have a country without abused and stray animals.
The Municipality of Corfu we have continued our work as much as possible with care for stray animals on the island. We have collected over 200 animals, which have been sterilised, vaccinated and tagged. A significant number of these have been adopted and the remainder have been left free and food and drink is provided for them.
Our efforts are aimed at gradually reducing the problem of stray animals. It is a problem that we ourselves have created by directly violating Article 6 in the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (1978) - "Abandonment of an animal is a cruel and degrading act."
LEONIDAS PANGRATIS
The American inventor Thomas Edison once said: "Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
Unfortunately, we often witness violent attacks on animals to a greater or lesser degree. Violence can be abandoning an unwanted animal - too old or too ill - without caring about what will happen to it.
Violence is keeping it in permanent confinement in a hellish kennel - often without enough food and water. Violence is keeping an animal permanently chained up in hot and cold weather. And violence is the way some people make out that female animals shouldn't be sterilised because it's unpleasant for them or it's against nature and then throw the new-born animals away outside other houses or in refuse bins.
On this year's World Animal Day let's resolve to celebrate it 365 days a year. Let's become more active. Let's not just take it for granted that someone else will solve the problems.
If necessary, call an animal welfare group or the Municipal animal welfare service. If we see a case of animal abuse - even if it is passive abuse, such as keeping it permanently chained up etc. - call the police. It is not necessary for the citizen to press charges as these offences are automatically punishable by law.
It is cause for optimism, however, that awareness is increasing in more and more members of the public, who now support helpless animals in a variety of ways. Some give financial support to animal welfare activities and others give voluntary help. Let these be an example to all of us so that we can finally have a country without abused and stray animals.
The Municipality of Corfu we have continued our work as much as possible with care for stray animals on the island. We have collected over 200 animals, which have been sterilised, vaccinated and tagged. A significant number of these have been adopted and the remainder have been left free and food and drink is provided for them.
Our efforts are aimed at gradually reducing the problem of stray animals. It is a problem that we ourselves have created by directly violating Article 6 in the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (1978) - "Abandonment of an animal is a cruel and degrading act."
LEONIDAS PANGRATIS
