Animal rights associations protest in front of the Romanian Parliament after abuse at a private shelter

More than a thousand people protested on Sunday, February 22, in front of the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, following revelations about animal abuse at a large private shelter in Suraia, Vrancea County.

The protest was organized by Dreptate pentru Animale, Asociația Ramses, Kola Kariola, and Asociația Sache Vet, and follows the publication of images of animals being abused and killed at the shelter allegedly run by a veterinarian.

The demonstrators called for changes to the legislation so that dogs would no longer be euthanized with public funds, according to HotNews.

“We protest against dog catchers and the authorities! Dogs are not merchandise,” the organizers said. They stated that the Suraia case was not a singular incident, but rather proof of systemic cruelty. “Private shelters subscribed to public funds can no longer be called shelters. When the goal becomes profit, and the result is death, the real name is something else,” they said.

Actress Carmen Tănase and stand-up comedian Drăcea, who leads the Ramses Association, were also present at the protest.

The case of the dog shelter in Suraia commune, Vrancea County, drew attention after images captured by a camera showing dogs being tortured and killed were published on the social media pages of an animal protection NGO. The shelter’s activity has been suspended. NGOs went to the site and successfully took over the over 200 animals that were still alive.

“We are all upset about the way the authorities are handling the problem,” said Marius Chircă, founder of the animal rights NGO Kola Kariola. He also claimed that dog carcasses and containers with a substance used for euthanasia were found around the shelter. “How these specially regulated substances ended up around the shelter, God knows,” he added.

The investigative website Snoop discovered another animal shelter in Giurgiu County facing accusations such as “intentional unlawful killing of animals.” The shelter has had ten criminal cases opened in the last five years, but it is still operational.

More than 64,000 dogs have been euthanized in Romania in the past three years, half of them in four shelters managed by veterinarians who turned the procedure into a business. The system encourages the killing of dogs, and the costs have exceeded EUR 9 million, according to the investigation.