How many of those who have walked the streets of Heliopolis, have noticed that they do not often encounter stray dogs?... And those who have noticed it, have wondered why this happens?... I wonder how many stray kittens are housed in the city?... Is there a way to count them, so that their care can be taken care of?...
This municipality has launched a campaign for a pro-animal culture and management of this particular issue, which includes a series of actions and innovative practices, including the municipal recognition of citizens who feed stray animals on the streets. It issues them with a special identity card, provides them with food and registers the feeding points, so that it can better monitor the situation and avoid other types of problems (e.g. confrontations with other citizens who see the feeding points as sources of infection), and through this process it can also take better care of the veterinary care of strays, with impressive results. At the same time, he sealed his close cooperation with one of the oldest and most active animal welfare organizations in the country, the Zoological Union of Ilioupolis (ZEI).
On the initiative of Mayor George Hatzidakis, among others, the municipality of Ilioupolis:
- It created and constantly expands an official Municipal Register of citizens-caretakers of stray animals, who are provided with a personal identity card to facilitate the exercise of their voluntary action under the protection of the municipality. So far, 142 stray animal caretakers have been registered, 2,996 stray cats have been registered in 200 active «colonies», supervised by volunteers and the municipality.
- It finances from its own resources a new programme of veterinary services and sterilisation of stray animals amounting to EUR 50 000, with an increase in the annual expenditure of more than 100%.
- More than 300 sterilizations were carried out in 2020, another 400 are planned until July 2021 and will continue to increase.
- It has so far implemented three food distributions, totalling ten tons, to the civilian prisoners who have volunteered to join the Municipal Register.
- Supported the Heliopolis Zoological Union with special food and medicines.
- With the caregiver card, it legalized volunteers and created a framework to protect strays from malicious actions, with the assistance of the Municipal Police and the Legal Service.
- Dozens of complaints of abuse or bullying have already been successfully handled and resolved discreetly.
And for 2021, the municipality of Heliopolis is planning:
- The installation of feeding-feeding devices and small houses for strays in several places in the city.
- The integrated digital management of the stray animal programme, with appropriate software.
- The establishment of an Urban Fauna Department with appropriate staff and equipment.
- Social awareness and pro-animal awareness campaign, immediately after the lifting of the restrictions.
«As a municipality we recognize the enormous voluntary contribution of our fellow citizens in the care of stray animals. Methodically and gradually we assume the responsibility and the financial burden, with a clear goal to make Ilioupoli a model of animal-friendly culture and protection of stray animals, »says to APE-MPA the Deputy Mayor, Apostolis Stasinopoulos, and continues:
«The responsibility of caring for stray animals was passed to the municipalities nine years ago, but this was done without any plans, planning, competent services, infrastructure, i.e. the municipalities just assumed the responsibility. However, every day there were many phone calls from citizens who reported that strays need care or abused, so the municipalities had to organize themselves on this issue to cope effectively in an important and daily issue that affects all areas.
And on the ZEH he adds: «It is the oldest and one of the most active animal welfare associations and is active outside of Heliopolis. It has traditionally had a good cooperation with the municipality and a protocol has been signed, but since 2019 this cooperation has taken a new turn. In the first quarantine period, its members were unable to move for the care of stray animals and then the municipality took care of them, so that they could obtain a safe and in all respects legal permit to move. With the special shelters it has set up, ZEH has been able to gather the stray dogs, take care of them and lead them all to adoption. This is the reason why you don't find stray dogs in the city. So, it's mostly about caring for stray cats, which are not as easy to find and care for as dogs.’.
Regarding the formalization of volunteer caregivers by creating an identity card, Mr. Stasinopoulos says: «There are hundreds of our fellow citizens who feed strays on their own, mainly cats, because you won't meet stray dogs anymore, and who have nothing to do with a voluntary organisation. So we made some moves to call them and talk to them about their volunteerism and most of them responded. They came and so we then did an initial registration of 30-40 people. Now we are up to 142 recognised animal carers and have registered almost all the strays, which is 3,000.
The card that we provide to citizen volunteers makes them feel a sense of security, as it shows that they are acting under the umbrella of the mayoralty and at the same time they feel a sense of security against other citizens who react, because they are also being done. With this identity card we give the citizen volunteer the opportunity to certify that he or she is not doing something arbitrary, but something perfectly legal and in cooperation with the municipal authority.
On the other hand, this helps us to identify the places and neighborhoods where everyone goes and feeds, but also to record the number of stray cats and thus know what the needs are for feeding, veterinary care, etc. In essence, we are creating a whole map of the city around stray cats.
The deputy mayor of Ilioupolis says that far from being reduced, volunteerism during the pandemic has decreased. «Only the fear of moving was initially there and so we proceeded to issue some certificates.» He concludes: «With this ID card we achieve something else. On the one hand the volunteer can buy food from the municipality and on the other hand he can now take a stray for free services to one of the vets we work with. But also in case of abuse of an animal, the Municipal Police can intervene more directly and legal protection can be provided.
We now have a very good picture of the stray animals in our city and this helps to make the distribution more fair and their care more direct and effective.».
Dem. Vassilopoulos
