It was the disgusting image that flooded social media over the weekend. Cause of thirst horsewhich was found by passing tourists hanging from a hillside, on a country road in Gia. At first, the tourists thought it was an accident. Unfortunately, this was (another) story of animal cruelty, one of many that have come to light in recent times.

And yet, despite the complaint filed with the police and the scale of what happened, the infamous incident does not develop properly, animal care organizations say.

“We don’t know if the animal is healthy, if it is injured, if someone is caring for it at this time, in what condition it is in general,” she tells K. Rosa Russo, founder of the Panhellenic Horse Protection Association IPPOTHESIS, who demanded in the context of the complaint that the horse be taken from its owner and placed in the care of the association. According to Mrs. Rousseau, IPPOTHEZIS volunteers, based on photographs provided to them by tourists, believe that this is a sterilized male, and not an old horse.

Ms. Russu describes how, two days after the complaint was filed, apparently, the beaten animal continues to remain with the owner, where it was found with cruel treatment.

“We are still waiting for the final removal of the animal from its owner. The horse was released the same day, but there is no update or indication that he is doing well. He lives in a field without stables, in the countryside, on a country road. No one has yet vouched for the state he is in two days after the incident. No one knows either if the lady the tourists saw kicking him and cutting the ropes at his feet was a neighbor, or if she was also a hostess or a passer-by. However, IPPOTHESIS cannot intervene to take care of this without the permission of the prosecutor.”

According to police sources “K”, the 34-year-old alleged owner of the horse was arrested on the afternoon of Sunday 04/30/2023 (complaint “IPPOTHESIS” was filed on the morning of the same day) and he was charged with animal cruelty.

Today, the animal is expected to be examined by a veterinarian who will also proceed to an expert opinion. Based on this, we were told, the issue of a fine for the owner will be decided, as well as whether the horse will be removed from his possession.

“The condition of horses in Greece is bad”

In connection with this heinous incident in Gia, Ms Russu notes that the situation with equids in Greece is still baddespite recent, stronger than past animal cruelty legislation – see Law 4030|21.

“See how the local authorities in the Cyclades keep asking for grazing.calling it part of the tradition on the islands,” Ms Russu says, adding: “Another main problem is that in our country there is no way to track horses. Horse registration began in October 2022, while in most EU countries it has been established since 2008. Of course, this is difficult to implement overnight. However, there must be an institutional, specific framework for each of the categories of horses – sport horses, working horses, saddle horses, etc.”

In fact, with a simple Internet search, many horses can be found sold without brands and without veterinary papers, according to Ms. Rousseau. “The process for many sellers is simple: replicate-sell without certificates and quickly, over and over again,” she characteristically notes.

“This is not an isolated case”

OUR Vangelis Paleodymos, President of the Hellenic Federation of Animal Philanthropic Associations, emphasizes that “this particular case of abuse is not isolated. There have been cases of mistreatment of donkeys in Zitsa and keeping horses in working conditions that do not meet the standards for keeping working horses of the World Organization for Animal Health in tourist areas and not only in our country.

Cases of animal abuse and killing are on the agenda and show that as a society we need to become more effective in order to eradicate them.”

According to Mr. Paleodymos, the main prerequisite for this to happen is adequate staffing of veterinary services by people who have received appropriate and specialized training in the field of animal welfare and protection. The Veterinary Forensic Service also needs to be strengthened in order to be able to exercise effective control over the protection, labeling and registration of animals and to impose appropriate sanctions.

Mr. Palaiodymos also points to the need for police officers to be trained by specialized veterinary scientists, rather than NGOs and organizations that lack experience and know-how, and to create appropriate structures to house abused animals taken from their owners.

As he explains: “In cases of detection of facts of cruelty to animals, it is mandatory to submit the conclusion of a veterinary examination or the conclusion of a veterinary forensic examination for the formation of case materials so that those responsible for cruelty to animals are punished proportionately, effectively. and deterrent sanctions, following scientific opinion and objective elements.”