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… find answers here to the most common questions we are asked |
Why does Greece have such a large stray animal population?
It started after the second world war; there were no stray animals on
the streets then but as the years went by, they began to appear. A few
strays are not usually a problem, but years of uncontrolled breeding
changed this situation and the result is that there are now millions of
If you do not find the answers you are looking for here, please contact us and we will try to answer your question as soon as we possibly can. Thank you! |
What’s being done about this problem?
There are over 200 animal welfare and environmental groups in
Greece. These groups are working hard – helping strays, neutering,
providing medical care, homing, education and lobbying. During the
past decade, many thousands of cats and dogs have been neutered in
this country as people begin to realize that it is the most humane
solution and the only one that works to permanently reduce the
number of animals.
Unfortunately, during the past decade, many thousands of others have
been killed by poisoning – the desperate action of people who dislike
strays and see it as the only solution for getting rid of them. The truth
is that the catch and kill method DOES NOT WORK – this has been
proved time and time again - other strays move in and before long the
problem is as bad or worse than before.
What’s it like for an animal living on the street?
As a resident of Greece you often see a dog or a cat sleeping on the
with a group of others crossing the street, or sitting on the sidewalk,
etc. If the animal looks healthy, you might think that it’s happy being
free. But the fact is – there is a grim reality to life on the street.
Terrible things go on. Kittens are crushed to death by the jaws of
garbage truck when people put them in trash bags; cats get their skin
ripped off or pins stuck in eyes; or get wires tied around their
stomachs or necks which grow into the flesh of the animals. Dogs get
hung or shot, tied on short ropes or chains and starved to death;
sometimes dogs lie by the side of the road for days after being hit by a
car before someone helps them; animals are poisoned; pathetic cats
and dogs with sad eyes and bodies of skin and bones wander the
street, particularly in the rural areas. Animals abandoned by cruel,
thoughtless people are left to roam the streets. And if you see a dog
with scabs on his body, bloody ears and a strange, old look in his
eyes, he probably has the parasitic disease Leishmaniasis. The pain of
homeless animals is everywhere in Greece. Only the strongest and the
luckiest survive.
So…what’s the solution to the stray animal problem?
1. Country-wide neutering programs, sponsored and paid for by the municipalities.
2. Homing programs, supported by municipalities and the media.
3. Education in the public schools, to teach children the value of respect for the animals we share
this earth with. Children should understand why we have so many strays; they should learn how to
approach them properly and how to help them. (GAWF has been running a good educational program
in private frontistirios for some years.)
4. General public relations/education program to nurture in people their innate love and need of
animals, thereby making them more likely to help a stray than be cruel to it.
5. Protected neighborhoods; where people feed regularly, vaccinate, neuter (thereby keeping the
numbers stable) and provide necessary medical care; such neighborhoods exist and are a haven for
strays but we need more of them.
6. Legislation that protects animals from the cruel acts of people; and the enforcement of such
legislation.
7. Control of pet shops – both the conditions in which they keep animals and the importation of
animals from kitten and puppy mills (many of these places raise animals in horrible conditions) and the
control of the import of wild and exotic animals.
8. Infrastructure set up to make sure that where municipality or private animal shelters exist, they
look after the animals in a proper manner. Regular inspections should be mandatory with those
deemed unable to provide proper care of the animals to be closed and the animals dispersed with the
help of other properly run animal shelters and local vets. Shelters should, however, be only temporary
solutions and not life-long prisons for the animals.
9. Registration of pets – with a very reasonable fee and a reduced fee for neutered pets and
multiple pets.
10. Support of local animal welfare groups and their efforts to raise money to help the strays.
SPAZ/ΣΠΑΖ GREECE Society for the Protection of Stray AnimalZ Σύλλογος Προστασίας Αδέσποτων Ζώων |
| US HELP THE ANIMALS YOUR DONATION IS SECURED BY THE PAYPAL® SYSTEM - YOU NEED NOT HAVE A PAYPAL® ACCOUNT TO HELP US, JUST A CREDIT CARD AND A LOVE FOR ANIMALS |
Travelling with a pet? Look at this website www.animalairways. com and find out which airline can serve you best. |
For more information about SPAZ, our work, and how we can help you help the animals, contact the appropriate person listed below. General Contact Details: PO Box 70213 Glyfada, Athens Greece 166-10 spazgreece@hotmail.co.uk Individual Contact Details: Joanna Doulakis (President) 6948 011572 Tatiana Papamoschou (Vice President) Fofi Dimitriadou (Treasurer) Tzela Pagoni (Secretary) Nikki Clainos (Member-at-large) Lucille Morin (committee member) Sue Green (committee member) 6977 939137 Vasso Clainos (committee member) Elizabeth Koubena (website) Sia Hurst (website) Click here to go to our Facebook Page |