Every year, more than 10,000 pets are abandoned in Croatia, especially when their owners go on holiday. This is despite the awareness campaign organised by the NGO Animal Friends Croatia since 2002.

“This number speaks volumes about us as a society, about our irresponsibility,” said the president of Animal Friends Croatia, Luka Oman, in an interview with the Croatian news agency Hina. He added that despite this figure, there is a growing awareness that abandoning animals is unacceptable.

“The situation would be much worse if we were not working so hard to solve the problem. We believe it is better, much better, than it would be if we did not invest so much. We believe that if we raise awareness, change the laws, enforce the laws, neuter, microchip and encourage adoption instead of purchase, the number of abandoned animals will go down,” Oman said.

“No one has to look after an animal, but if they choose to do so, they must take responsibility for it,” he emphasised.

Oman: Abandoning animals has all the elements of a criminal offence

In April of this year, a law came into force that criminalises the abandonment of animals and prohibits animal abusers from keeping animals.

Oman said that animal abandonment has all the elements of a criminal offence and that prison sentences are justified for those who abandon animals.

“We believe that the law will have a preventive effect, that before people acquire an animal, they will think about whether they have enough time, money, will, patience and conditions to take care of the animal for the next 15 years or so. We also expect this change in the law to trigger other much-needed changes, such as improving the Animal Welfare Act,” he said.

“Now we need to ensure that the law is enforced throughout Croatia, that all cities and municipalities equally fulfil their legal obligation to monitor the microchipping of dogs through visits to households, to regularly educate citizens about animal welfare, which they are also legally obliged to do, and to fund the neutering of foster dogs and cats,” Oman said.

“Adoption saves two animals – the one that is adopted and the other that comes in its place to get a chance to be adopted,” he concluded.