Bucharest city council to decide on recent proposal for fines for those who feed stray dogs

A new proposal from the Authority for Animal Supervision and Protection ASPA calls for fines for all those who feed the stray dogs in Bucharest. The fine of up to RON 5,000 came as a proposal after the public debate over the Bucharest Municipality decision on dog reproduction in Bucharest. The head of ASPA Răzvan Băncescu said the intention is not to fine “a child who gives a biscuit to a dog on the street, but to reduce the number of dog attacks on people.” Băncescu also gave the example of an area in Drumul Taberei neighborhood, where out of 112 complaints made to the municipality, 80 were about dog attacks, as well as about feeding the dog packs in the area. The organization cites a study carried out in Italy, which shows feeding dogs in groups makes it easier for them to form organized packs, which in turn increases their aggressiveness. Should the project be approved in the Bucharest Municipal Council, fines will be applied by local police, and the first areas will be those marked by the municipality as conflict areas. The same law project, which was under public debate until April 30, also calls for mandatory sterilization for dogs, as well as fees for those who want to adopt dogs from the municipality's shelters. Studies show that around a third of the stray dogs in Bucharest have been abandoned by their owners. The first stray dog census carried out in Romania showed that the number of dogs living on the streets of Bucharest totals over 64,700, according to a partial count conducted by ASPA in September 2012. The margin of error was of +/- 10 percent. ASPA captured around 3,500 stray dogs in 2012. From this total number, some 2,000 were returned to the streets, 1,400 were adopted and over 40 were put down. Over 6,500 stray dogs were sterilized in Bucharest last year, with total costs of some EUR 200,000. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: arhivafoto.ro)