Castration instead of killing! Romania's street dogs in focus

Bonn. Thanks to content creator Nathan Goldblat's high-profile initiative, the killing of street dogs in Romania has gained significant attention on social media in recent weeks. A TV documentary will follow. But the problem under discussion is by no means new. The German Animal Welfare Association, together with its member association Tierhilfe 'Hoffnung', has been tirelessly campaigning against dog killings in Romania for ten years.

“The cruel and senseless killing of street dogs in Romania must come to an end,” demands Jürgen Plinz, executive board member of the German Animal Welfare Association and board member of the European animal protection umbrella organization Eurogroup for Animals. The suspicion, which has been discussed again and again in expert circles, that the dog killings in Romania are also financed by EU tax money has so far neither been confirmed nor dispelled beyond doubt. “Even if the EU assures that it will not finance any killing stations directly, it remains responsible. If it turns out that Romania is actually misusing EU funding for business, tourism or rabies prevention to finance trapping services or killing stations, the EU must stop these funds until Romania has created transparency,” demands Plinz. “European citizens’ tax money must not flow directly or indirectly into such cruel practices.”

Castration as a key to population management
After many years of political commitment, the German Animal Welfare Association and the Animal Aid Hope 2024 have launched a model project in the Romanian district of Argeș that shows a proven, animal welfare-friendly approach as an alternative to killing. With currently up to 40,000 castrations per year, the involvement of the population and the support of national and local veterinary authorities, the project is on a promising path. “Castration is the key in the fight against the suffering and death of street dogs. In the best case scenario, in the long term we will be able to convert the more than 140 killing stations in Romania into castration centers,” says Matthias Schmidt, chairman of the Animal Aid Hope. The association runs the world's largest animal shelter in Romania, which currently houses around 6,000 dogs: the Smeura.