Stray animals in Greece: “The problem is getting worse,” says Greek Australian traveller
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Tourists love to travel to Greece to enjoy the sights, the history, the culture, though one fact that has almost unanimously concerned all outsiders is the frequent sight of stray cats and dogs, a fact which has yet to be truly solved.
Greece has for years had a significant problem when it comes to stray animals, with millions of cats and dogs estimated to be on the streets and despite all efforts it is seemingly not improving.
There are many initiatives, domestic and even international-based, that work to help these animals along with the government, but the question remains on how much it is helping and is it working towards a solution.
Despite improvements in some of the larger tourist areas, like in central Athens, Greek Australian Alexandra Mazis believes the problem has not improved overall and could in fact be getting worse.
“Over the years I have travelled to Greece regularly and I feel the situation with the abandoned dogs and cats has gotten worse,” Mazis told Neos Kosmos.
The Greek Australian noted that sightings would be daily while travelling through Zakynthos and Kefalonia.
“I saw tourists on the beach feeding dogs and providing water. A few were injured and very malnourished. There are always cats at restaurants surviving on whatever tourists provide. The locals who love animals do feed them however there are too many to count,” she said.
During her four weeks in Ioannina, Mazis brought up the subject with locals and found that many subscribed to the philosophy of not neutering animals, which has been attributed as one of the many causes for the vast number of strays in Greece.
“The locals explained that they do not neuter animals (cost factor) , some say it’s unnatural, whilst others are uneducated on the subject or have become immune to the situation,” she said.
“They do feed sporadically during summer, however winter many starve and die.”
Services do exist to help these animals but resources seem to be thin.
“There are shelters however locals tell me they have few volunteers and not much in the way of monetary funds,” she said.
“There are many articles written on the subject and it seems many charities trying to help but I was overcome with sadness daily seeing these animals – the ugly side of Greece.”
Greece has cultivated a reputation as having one of the largest stray feline and canine populations in the world, and Mazis’ personal account attests that the problem is widespread across Greece.
The Greek government did vote for and passed new legislation aimed at tackling the problem by making animal neutering mandatory in 2021, a decision that was met with concern for both cultural reasons and on the grounds that it could lead to the end of certain pedigrees.
The same bill did also include legislation relating to prison sentences and hefty fines for offences ranging from illegal trafficking of animals to the theft of pets, which was considered a positive step forward.
Penalties can range up to €50,000 and are stipulated in the case of torture and abuse, including “poisoning, hanging, drowning, crushing and mutilation” of animals, all regularly witnessed in rural areas.
The government’s effort demonstrates some initiative to try and fix the problem, though it seems that further action is needed.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
