Petition to support the Animal Police Law in Romania - Project B486/08-05-2007

According to the sponsors, the following cases of cruelty are felony:  unjustifiable killing of any animal or the attempt; causing physical pain or suffering to any animal  through handling or through acts as stated hereafter, knowingly or intentionally done or favoured, that can cause intense or prolonged or repeated pain or the death of the animal;  torturing, mutilating, suffocating, poisoning of animals – excepting the cases and methods stated by law for some rodents and insects considered pests; also cremation, burying, skinning, and starting of any act of processing the animal body until the death is certain; killing, causing physical pain or suffering, stealing, illegal traffic of pets; the animal fights (organization, funding, encouraging, bets and any gory shows involving animals); killing of animals for consumption in conditions that cause intense or prolonged suffering in slaughterhouses, farms, butcheries, households, without observing the norms of humane slaughter; the slaughter in unauthorized facilities, excepting the households for the own consumption; slaughter of the fur animals, domestic and wild species, without observing the norms of euthanasia for each of the species, as recommended by international experts and accepted by national legislation; the un-necessary killing or inflicting intense pain that could have been avoided on the animals used for scientific purposes, not observing the laws in effect, the illegal trade with animal and animal products, any other acts under the incidence of the present law.

The following cases of animal maltreatment are considered misdemeanour: raising animals in conditions of overcrowding; transportation and exposure of animals to overcrowding and excessive duration, in positions causing pain, or having not enough air or water; depriving the owned animals of adequate food, water, shelter, possibility to move; overworking or overdriving any animal disregarding the species, age, health condition, advance gestation inclusive; cruelly beating, sticking to force an animal to perform over its limits or to get an animal fallen, ill or wounded to rise; not observing the rest necessary for the work animals; excessive exposing to bad weather conditions that can cause impairment of health; throwing away or abandonment of the domestic animals, pets, utility animals, that cannot be used being old, ill or infirm; using the animals in contests, races, shows, circuses, movies, advertising, exhibitions, entertainment, sports or keeping them in zoo parks without the necessary care for their safety and welfare, and care for thereafter ; the brutal training of the animals; annoying, scaring or teasing, provoking the animals against one another, or against humans; keeping the animals in improper conditions during illegal trading; allowing an animal to create a danger to the public or other animals ; beating, coursing, animals' torment etc.

According to the law, misdemeanour is punishable with fines from 300 to 10.000 lei (90 to 3,000 Euro); felony is punished with 5 to 10 years of imprisonment.

The project allows the owners to chain a dog for maximum 4 hrs a day, not tied to a fix point and allowing the animal to make normal body movements.

If leaving the animal in the possession of the owner is considered to pose an immediate danger to the animal, the Animal Police can temporary seize the animal.

As regards the stray animals: It is forbidden to euthanize captured strays or dogs impounded; it is forbidden to use  captured strays or dogs impounded for experimentation; the stray dogs will be spayed/neutered; registered; if not claimed in 60 days, they could be offered for adoption to reliable persons; before adoption they shall be anti-rabies vaccinated. The euthanasia of the dogs and cats, by applying humane procedures only, is allowed only for incurable illness cases or for dogs that proved to be aggressive.

The obligation to sterilise the stray dogs and cats is incumbent on the concessionaire veterinarian doctors responsible for the area; not-observing of this obligation is considered misdemeanour.

The costs incurred with spaying/neutering of the stray animals will be born by the local/county budgets and the National Sanitary Veterinarian Authority

Preventing the increase of stray animal population will be carried out by:

- applying the present project/law dispositions regarding the obligations of the owners to avoid the loss and abandon of their pets;

- limitation of pet breeding; spaying/neutering to the highest possible extent of the stray animals

- actions for protection of animals in case of demolitions and calamities

The primates, dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, as species with superior neuro-psychic development shall not be slaughtered for consumption (under the charge of felony).

Wildlife animals can be kept captive only if allowed by the Animal Police.

The Ministry of Education will have in view to include in the training programs for specialists, animal technicians, workers in the veterinary activity, biology, livestock of scientific, technical, ethical information intended to promote the respect for life and elimination or reducing to the highest degree possible the suffering of the animals on which human activities are exerted.    

The educative actions to prevent the cruelty on animals and for the animals' protection will have in view some groups of invertebrates as well, such as insects, molluscs, crustaceans.