We had already addressed the issue of the poisoning of stray animals in Albania in both 2021 and 2022.
In particular, we launched a petition addressed to the Mayor of Tirana, as he had ordered a sterilisation campaign that turned out to be a mass killing of stray animals. The animals were captured by municipal employees and taken to the Kombinat municipal veterinary clinic, where they were killed by injection with hydrochloric acid.
We have recently received evidence showing that the practice of poisoning has not ended, but rather continues in several cities in Albania. The videos we are showing you come from the town of Gjirokaster, in the country’s south.
We asked the mayor of the city for an explanation, and he replied that it was just fake news. We are in contact with our member league Animal Rescue Albania, which has confirmed that it is true.
We are not giving up. We will also write to the Ministry of the Environment and the Italian ambassador in Albania. Please help us spread the word!
Below you can read the text we sent.
Dear Mr. Falmur Golemi,
OIPA International Organization for Animal Protection is an NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), accredited at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Our organization embraces more than 200 associations across the world and operates in defence of animal rights and to protect animals against any form of cruelty and abuse.
We are reaching out to you with a sense of urgency and hope to appeal to your kindness and compassion. We would like to express our deep concern about the way stray animals are treated in your city. We have received reports of serious incidents from residents and volunteers on the ground. They are asking our organization to intervene with the relevant authorities.
We have received reports of stray dogs being poisoned, both along roads and near private homes. These actions are not in alignment with those taken by most European countries and are completely contrary to the protection of animal welfare.
It is our hope that measures will be considered to help prevent the recurrence of these serious crimes, and that the potential dangers to public safety will be taken into consideration. We also respectfully propose the implementation of municipal kennels, which the authorities could manage with the help of national funds, for the sole purpose of animal welfare.
We trust that you will give this matter your urgent attention and we remain available to further discuss with your team.
While we wait for the authorities to take action, we would like to continue helping Animal Rescue Albania by paying some of the veterinary expenses incurred by the volunteers. You can also help us with a small donation.
