site.btaAnimal Protection Organizations Demand Urgent Amendments to Criminal Code on Animal Cruelty, Creation of Dedicated Zoo Police

Animal protection organizations called for urgent amendments to the Criminal Code related to violence against animals and the creation of a dedicated zoo police unit during a news conference at the BTA National Press Club here on Thursday. Participating in the discussion were Zoopatruli [zoo patrols] Association Chair Stefan Kurdov, Chair of the M&M Help for Animals – BG, Martin Yanchev, and Metodi Dimitrov, a representative of volunteers working with municipal shelters in Sofia. 

During the conference, Yanchev said that the Criminal Code lacks penalties for attempted infliction of permanent injury or killing of an animal, as well as for molestation, psychological abuse, and abandonment of a newborn animal. “We want municipalities to create a photo register of animals so that if an owner decides to abandon an animal, it can be traced and taken into care,” he said.  

Animal welfare groups also call for the installation of safety signs near animal shelters, the introduction of markers indicating which dogs and other animals have been neutered, so veterinarians can identify them during examinations, and the adoption of a regulation clarifying the powers of municipal mayors. “Currently, there is no dedicated hotline for reporting animal cruelty, and the only option available is the national emergency number, 112,” Yanchev noted. 

Kurdov said that the organizations insist that zoo police structures be reinstated within the regional directorates because cruelty to animals could not be stopped by volunteers alone. According to him, only a uniformed officer can gather the necessary on-site evidence and detain perpetrators, he argued. “We will push for criminal penalties that ensure anyone who harms a living creature ends up in prison,” he added. 

Dimitrov stressed that registration of animals must be carried out regardless of whether owners have paid the required fees and taxes. More registered animals would mean better control, he argued. 

The organizations demanded the resignation of the Rector of the University of Forestry, Andrei Kurtenkov, over alleged acts of cruelty to animals. They also urged local mayors to support people who rescue distressed animals and called on veterinarians to monitor for cases of animal abuse.