A dog whose testicles were amputated with pliers by his caretaker in Chania “because he kept wanting toys.” Another dog that was abused in Nice by two men: one stabbed her and the other hit her on the head with a metal bar. Cows skeletonized from starvation in Zervochori, Thesprotia. Almost daily extermination of cats with nests. And now donkey Zitsy: another incident in a long list animal abuse in our country.

As the figures show, eight out of ten violations concern domesticated animals: Their guardians treat them as objects they can use as they see fit. The new law should keep executioners off the hook. But in reality, when public interest is diverted from specific incidents, and the river of animal outrage on social media flows in the other direction, true animal lovers and animal welfare volunteers still face huge problems, offenders take advantage of loopholes in the law and animals are left defenseless. .

Under the previous law, municipalities had the ability to review police fines and even revoke them if they felt it was justified. This has been the case in the vast majority of cases, because what elected official would want to upset his constituents? “There was, indeed, a regime of slavery. The law now only allows municipalities to revise fines that they themselves impose. The problem, however, has shifted to the other side: to the interpretation and application of the law by the police and prosecutors. “Many times animal cruelty is not given the attention it deserves or there are obstacles, intentional or not, with the argument ‘we have bigger cases’,” the lawyer notes. Costas Tokatlides (his legal representative Save a homeless Greek in the case of municipal nurseries—the hell houses of Sparta). “The prosecution of Vice Mayor Zica should be for a criminal offense, and his punishment should be such as to shock those who do not understand moral values,” he concludes. The case with Zica has another side: it once again tragically confirms that horses in Greece live in the Middle Ages. “We are one of the few countries where horses, mules and donkeys are not classified as companion animals and are exchanged for tractors and even air conditioners through car dealership sites,” says Rosa Russo, founding member of the Panhellenic Association for the Protection of the Environment. Protection of horses HYPOTHESIS. “Act 1197 of 1981 is mainly used to protect them. Our daily life remains extremely complex. We demand the immediate registration and recognition of horses, as well as the creation of an institutional framework that will protect them in general.”

For actress Tatiana Papamoshou, co-founder of Gaidourochora / Hellenic Center for Donkeys, the lack of signage is a major problem, as is the ignorance of the authorities who will be called upon to enforce the law. “Most cops don’t know what good and bad condition means for a horse, even forensic veterinarians often have black midnight. Then, due to bureaucratic delays, the time between the complaint of abuse and the on-site inspection is usually long. The keeper manages to take the animal to another place, even make it disappear. Cases of concealment by local authorities are also not uncommon.”

Consequently; What needs to be done? Legal and animal welfare organizations argue that there is an immediate need to, among other things, upgrade the Greek police’s offender register so that it is kept informed of all incidents by registering complaints at the national level. Because cruelty to animals and acts of violence against people are links in the same criminal chain.

“The Zica incident once again reminds us of the need for legislation to protect horses. Unfortunately, its deficiency leads to frequent and frequent abuse or violation of the rules of their well-being. The lack of traceability further complicates the work of the authorities. As a special secretariat, we desire the immediate creation of legislation to prevent such phenomena.”