HOW TO REPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY/NEGLECT Where do I report animal cruelty? According the Cyprus Animal Welfare Act 46/I, 1994-2002, the Competent Authorities to enforce the Animal Protection Law are: - The Government Veterinary Services and - The Police, separately or jointly. - Neighborhood police If you contact with one of the provincial veterinary offices by email, then cc your complaint to animal.health@vs.moa.gov.cy and animalresponsibilitycyprus@gmail.com This means: - The Government Veterinary Inspectors or the Police, can investigate a cruelty or neglect case and give the necessary instructions to the citizen breaking the law (how to improve the living conditions of an animal). However, if this person does not comply with the instructions within a reasonable time limit, and if the animals life is at risk, they have the right to confiscate the animal. In case the animals life is in immediate danger, they have the right to confiscate it at once. Unfortunately this is seldom done as both competent authorities have no premises to accommodate confiscate animals. If is a case of severe neglect the case can be taken to the court. - If a citizen reports a cruelty case to the Police and the Police is not aware of how the living conditions of an animal should be, then the Police must call the District Government Veterinary Office for assistance. Both competent authorities must cooperate between them. Does «A.R.C. Κivotos»have any power to investigate animal cruelty? «A.R.C. Κivotos» or other animal welfare associations, have no legal authority to investigate or intervene on behalf of abused and neglected animals (although sometimes they do to save an animal). However, we can provide information and support to concerned citizens. In case of a direct cruelty to your animal, for instance someone killed your dog, poisoned your cat etc, you have to report it directly to your nearest police station. If the relevant police officer refuses to investigate the case please do contact us or you can report it to the Head of the Police by a registered letter or by hand to his office in Nicosia Police Headquarters. Denying help to a citizen is punishable. If you witness or suspect animal cruelty, you should contact one of the following authorities (see list of telephone numbers). 1
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT VETERINARY OFFICES TEL. Numbers and Faxes ANIMAL WELFARE LAW 46 (I) 94 COMPETENT AUTHORITY (VETERINARY SERVICES) NICOSIA - District Veterinary TEL. + 357-22805240 / 1, Fax: + 357-22805174. Email: dvs.lefkosia@vs.moa.gov.cy LIMASSOL - District Veterinary TEL. + 357-25819512 / 1, Fax: + 357-25306544. Email: dvs.lemesos@vs.moa.gov.cy LARNACA - District Veterinary TEL. + 357-24821275 / 6, Fax: + 357-24304270 Email: dvs.lernaca@vs.moa.gov.cy AMMOCHOSTOS - District Veterinary TEL. + 357-24824555, Fax: + 357-24722811 Email: dvs.ammochostos@vs.moa.gov.cy PAPHOS - District Veterinary TEL. + 357-26821260, Fax: + 357-26306198 Email: dvs.paphos@vs.moa.gov.cy NICOSIA - HEADQUARTERS AND PROTECTION OF ANIMAL WELFARE TEL. + 357-22805253 / 236/250, Fax: + 357-22805176 Email: animal.health@vs.moa.gov.cy CENTRAL POLICE TELEPHONE LINE 1460 Pick up your telephone and make the call NOW! Help animals to improve their living conditions. Give them a hope to change their way of life by finding a new owner. If you don t report cruelty/neglect in your neighborhood or where ever else is taking place, nobody will ever know of the particular animal abuse. How to proceed with an Animal Cruelty /Neglect Complaint Before making an animal cruelty/neglect complaint If you have the appropriate knowledge, advise him/her how he/she could take care of his/her animal If not, then you can encourage him/her to get advice from an animal welfare organization or a vet If he/she refuses to listen or act, then you can report the case to the Appropriate Authority, which is the Cyprus Veterinary Services or your local Police Station (jointly or separately). If it is about a mere negligence, the Veterinary Services is the appropriate authority, but in the event of severe animal mistreatment you should inform both the Veterinary Services and the Police. 2
Information on hand when reporting animal cruelty/neglect complaint Try to gather the following information before submitting a report of animal cruelty: If you see somebody ill-treating an animal, keep cool and check whether you can interfere alone or not. This person might turn against you. If you cannot achieve anything, try to keep in mind as many details of the event as possible. Call immediately the Veterinary Services or the Police Station in your area, give your name, telephone and address, so that the veterinary inspector or the police can inform you about the results of his investigation (list). If you don t want to reveal your name, the Competent Authority will not be able to inform you about the results of the investigation or about any convictions. It is very important to be informed about the outcome of your case, firstly for yourself and the future condition of the animal but also because the appropriate authority might not bother to investigate it. Give a detailed verbal or written report, of what you observed or witnessed. Try to give the inspector as much as possible precise information Give the exact date and time of the event or if not possible, approximately. Give the exact address (street and no.) the animal is now or was at the time of abuse. Describe both the animal and the condition it was in. Make a statement in the event that there was any dead body of an animal, if you have spotted some kind of poison, cages, traps, tools etc Give the name or names of the persons that were involved and their telephones if you know them. If any witnesses were present at the event, make sure to take their names and telephones. They can be useful in the court. If any cars were also involved take their registration number and their brand name. Finally, make a statement that you are willing to testify at a possible hearing. Supply, if possible, photographs of the location, the animals in question and the surrounding area. Be careful not to put yourself in danger! Do not enter another person s property without permission, and exercise great caution around unfamiliar animals who may be frightened or in pain. If you can, provide law enforcement officers with the names and contact information of other people who have firsthand information about the abusive situation. Accurate information will strengthen law enforcement. Ask for the name and serial number of the police officer who is taking down the complaint. The same with the Government Veterinary Inspectors. Ask what action is planned Ask the Competent Authority to notify you in writing about the results of the investigation. Νever give away a document without making a copy for yourself! Anonymous complaint about animal cruelty You can file an anonymous complain to the Government Veterinary Services. The Police will require your name and telephone number. However both of them must be able to keep confidentiality. 3
If you do not wish to file your complain directly to the Government Veterinary Services, we can do it for you. It is better to file an anonymous report than to do nothing but please consider providing your information to whoever is taking the complaint. The case is more likely to be pursued when there are credible witnesses willing to stand behind the report and, if necessary, testify in court about what they may have witnessed. Confiscating an animal. Reporting cruelty is always the right thing to do. Because of the insufficient law enforcement system from the Veterinary Services or the Police, usually the animal is not removed from a home unless absolutely necessary. An animal is taken from his or her owner, if there is a big life threatening problem. A seized animal, if placed to a reputable animal shelter, will have the chance to get the necessary help, whether that help is nutritional or medical. Also, if an intervention by law enforcement leads to a person s conviction, you may be proud to have helped save other animals from the same abuse: in many countries, convicted animal abusers are barred from owning pets. In Cyprus convictions on animal abuse are counted in one hand, therefore serial killers or abusers are never convicted. Follow up on your report of animal cruelty When you report animal cruelty, keep a careful record of exactly whom you contacted, the date of the contacts,copyof any documents you provided to the appropriate authority and the content and outcome of your discussion. This will make following up much easier. If you do not receive a response from the officer assigned to your case within a reasonable length of time, make a follow-up call to inquire about the progress of the investigation. As a last resort, and only if you are reasonably certain that no action has been taken on your complaint, you may wish to contact the head of the Veterinary Services or the Head of the Police to request action ( Address, Telephone numbers. Fax, Email) Please keep in mind that both Law Enforcement Authorities operate with limited personnel and resources and most of the times would not react on time. Keep calling them to find out the outcome of your complain. Report animal cruelty. It is important ARC finds out about animal abuse through your phone calls. Calls from concerned citizens who witness cruelty in their neighborhood, in the country site, pet shops, small animal zoos etc. Without your phone call, many animals would remain mute and unable to defend themselves. Your Voice is their way to be freed from their abusive owners. That's why it's so important to learn how to identify and report crimes against animals. IDENTIFYINGANIMAL CRUELTY What do we mean by animal cruelty? Animal cruelty occurs when someone intentionally injures or harms an animal or when a person willfully deprives an animal of: - Food, - Water - Necessary medical care 4
- Appropriate Shelter according its kind - Means to express its physiological and Ethnological Needs Here are some signs that may indicate abuse or neglect: Animals with tick or flea infestations Animals with open wounds on the body or signs of old ones Animals with patches of missing hair Extremely thin, starving animal Animals Limping or unable to stand on their feet Animals who are repeatedly left alone without food and water Dogs that and often chained in a yard for all their lives Animals who have been hit by cars and have not been taken to a veterinarian Animals who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions ( sun, rain etc). Animals living in unsanitary conditions in their excrements. Animals who are fearful or act aggressively when approached by their owners An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal Animal Neglect is Cruelty You don t have to hit or kill an animal to be cruel depriving an animal of food, water or necessary medical care is neglect, is a formof cruelty. There are two general categories of animal neglect: - Simple neglect - Malicious neglect. Simple neglect (failure to provide basic needs) isnot necessarily considered a criminal act, and can often be resolved by the intervention of the Government Veterinary Services which may be able to offer resources and educate offenders on how to provide proper care for their animals. However, there is a distinction between simple animal neglect and intentional neglect. Intentional neglect is considered a more serious and must be prosecutable. Neglect can also reveal cases of animal hoarding, the accumulation of large numbers of animals in extremely unsanitary conditions, often resulting in the death of many animals and potentially serious health consequences for the people who are living with them. 5