The president of the Political Party for People, Nature and Animals (PONA) Ion Dron requests the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the actions of the local authorities of Bobeica village of Hâncești district concerning animals without owners. “On December 16, 2020, the Bobeica Local Council approved the decision to shoot cats and dogs without owners that will be seen near the village with the assistance of hunters. The intention to shoot these animals derives from point 5 of the decision,” Ion Dron stated in a news conference at IPN.
The PONA president reminded that under Article 221 of the Penal Code, the inhuman treatment of animals or their torture that results in mutilation or death are illegal acts. Such deeds committed in public are punished with one to three years in jail. “The decision of the local authorities of Bobeica commune to engage hunters by setting trained dogs on animals without owners paves the way for the offense stipulated in Article 222, p. 1 of the Penal Code,” stated Ion Dron.
He believes the mayor of Bobeica, if he does not lie, at least cheats when he tells journalists that the stray cats and dogs will not be shot. “If you don’t intend to shoot, why do you involve hunters? Why do you intend to collect bodies if you do not plan to shoot?” asked Ion Dron. According to him, what happened in Bobeica is a consequence of the fact that the Republic of Moldova does not have a clear policy on animal protection and documents that exist in all the countries of the region.
“Some of the mayors, like the one from Bobeica, treat the animals without masters as training targets for hunters. The mayor of Chisinau treats the animals without owners as garbage. Or how can his intention to transfer the Animal Protection Section of the Public Amenities Division under the management of a waste collection company be interpreted?” asked Ion Dron.
He called on those who treat the animals without owners as hunting targets to read the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. The preamble to the Convention says the humans have the moral obligation to protect all living beings. The moral progress of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” stated Ion Dron.
The Political Party for People, Nature and Animals will also ask the Hâncești Local Office of the State Chancellery to determine the legality of the decision to shoot animals without masters that was approved by the local authorities of Bobeica.
