We didn’t imagine, on setting out on our hiking tour through Romania in 2001,
that we would be led to found the US-registered charity Romania Animal Rescue (RAR)
as a result We found the conditions of the animals we met, particularly the
street dogs, so atrocious that we knew something had to be done to help them.
Galati, eastern Romania
RAR now works in the city of Galati, offering a free spay/neuter service to
all dogs and cats in the city, as well as feeding the dogs at the city pound. We
work with veterinarians who have been trained in pain-free procedures by
organizations such as London’s Mayhew Animal Home and the Humane Society of the
United States. Our goal is to humanely control the population of the homeless
animals which are currently left to starve and suffer on the streets in every
Romanian city, or are poisoned to control their numbers.
The oppressive dictatorship of Nicholae Ceaucescu is behind the unique
situation in Romania. While in power, Ceaucescu tore down many farms and
villages, forcing farmers to migrate to the cities to work in industrial
factories. The housing provided by the government for these workers did not
apply to their dogs – so the dogs were left on the streets to multiply. We are
still dealing with the consequences of this programme which began in 1967. These
animals are the victims of horrible circumstance – whose only fault is being
born in Romania.
I hope you will choose to help Romania Animal Rescue or one of the other
wonderful charities we have faith in that are working in cities such as
Bucharest, Arad, and Cluj.
-Nancy Janes
Here are their stories:
Bucharest, suburb of the Popesti-Leordeni
Hi there! We are a Romanian Animal Protection Charity, set up by Roxana
Macoviciuc and Carmen Milobendzchi in October 2002, specifically dedicated to
promote care for animals and to develop a respect for all life. We are
co-founders and volunteer managers. We have jobs: Carmen is an architect and
Roxi an economist, and all our free time is dedicated to fulfil the
association’s goals.
In May 2003 we began to build a shelter according to city planning
regulations on an area of land near the Bucharest ring-road, in the
Popesti-Leordeni suburbs. We managed to acquire all the technical
recommendations and authorisations. Even though it is not yet built, through a
lack of money, we have finished one large enclosure and three smaller ones, so
we can accommodate about 200 dogs. They all are sterilised, deparasited,
dewormed, and vaccinated, and are waiting to be rehomed. They are very
socialised.
We are also building a cattery, and already have 70 cats, sterilised and
awaiting adoption. We are running a ‘Trap-Neuter-Return’ (TNR) programme, for
500 dogs each year; also we take care of and vaccinate the dogs and cats of the
suburb. For all these we need support. We are very grateful for the ones who
have already helped us and we wish to continue together to finish and to
maintain what we have started.
We hope that more people will see what we are doing and what we intend to
realise, and we hope they’ll trust in us and will join our projects by helping
as volunteers or offering financial support for the project to which they feel
closest. In 2004 we signed a protocol with the Townhall of Popesti-Leordeni for
TNR for cats and dogs. After two years they saw that we were making progress and
asked us to co-operate with them in solving the problem of strays in the town.
Now, for 2007, we decided to improve this programme with an educational one, so
that one of our volunteers goes into schools and kindergartens to give
illustrated talks on the welfare of companion animals.
Roxana Macoviciuc and Carmen Milobendzchi
email: roxanamacoviciuc@yahoo.com
see www.thenature.ro
Arad, western Romania
Animed Arad is the only animal welfare charity in Arad. The city has a
population of 200,000, and most of them have at least a dog or a cat. Animed
Arad offers free medical assistance and a spay/neuter service for stray and
feral cats and dogs. We also assist animals with human companions on low
incomes. So far we have rescued almost 1,000 animals, rehomed almost 600 and
spayed/neutered almost 1,000 cats and dogs. We are about to build the first and
only veterinary suite for stray animals in our county. Besides other conferences
and training programmes I have attended throughout Europe and the USA, I have
been trained by Dogs’ Trust (in Evesham and London) in 2004 and by The Mayhew
Animal Home in March 2007 (in London). We have an entire list of respectable
charities both in UK and USA which can provide a recommendation if needed.
Detailed records and information can be found on our website:
www.animed.ro [Editor’s note: this is a
really great website – highly recommended!] Please contact me for any
questions that you might have.
Claudiu Iosim,
Founder of Animed Arad.
email: aradanimals@yahoo.com
Clui, north-west Romania
Cluj-Napoca used to have a fairly small number of strays, compared with other
Romanian cities; unfortunately, the numbers lately seem to have gone up. At the
moment Apppa Nuca has two on-going programmes: ‘I am not a stray’ – where we are
trying to find temporary foster homes for strays, offering financial and medical
assistance to people who agree to keep the animals until a proper adoption is
finalised; and ‘Be humane’, a programme focusing on putting a stop to the
violence and maltreatment of animals. We will be launching a major publicity
campaign to spay/neuter/adopt strays and a mass sterilisation procedure for
strays and pets. Also, we are trying to get the city’s authorities to turn the
pound into a civilised shelter and to help them advertise it as the first place
to turn to when you’re willing to adopt an animal.
Mara
Contacting RAR:
Romania Animal Rescue, Inc.
8000 Morgan Territory Rd,
Livermore, CA 94550, USA
tel: (001)9256725908
email: romainadogs@sbcglobal.net;
www.romaniaanimalrescue.com;
US charity number: 72-1546354.
