The Mima puppy, whose four paws were chopped off by an unknown monster never waited for any justice for the cruelty it had suffered 5 years ago. Her loving new family in Germany took care for the animal till the end of her life. In the meantime Bulgaria has finally taken the initial step towards the investigation of such atrocities.

Zoo police – a special unit with the interior ministry is now to investigate violence shown towards animals. The Penal Code envisages serious penalties for such crimes – up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to EUR 25,000. At the same time there are barely any sentences, as very few doers have been nabbed.

“There is a lack of understanding by the interior ministry that these crimes are serious. That was why zoo police had to be established”, says Yavor Gechev, head of the Communication Dept. with the Four Paws NGO. “Any violence shown towards animals is considered extremely dangerous everywhere around the world, as it is usually followed by violence, shown towards people. In 70 percent of domestic violence cases the pet falls the first victim and then another member of the family suffers. All serial killers have kicked off their deeds with murdered animals first. So the phenomenon is an indicator for the existence of future criminals and those must be stopped before they harm any human being.”

The establishment of zoo police is an important sign that crimes against animals will now be taken seriously. Furthermore, the number of such cases registered has recently grown (181 for the last year only).

“This is due to that feeling of impunity, along with the fact that this society is very nervous. At the same time violence against animals has been discussed more and more often and a growing number of cases have seen publicity. All this attention means that the society as a whole doesn’t tolerate such behavior”, Yavor Gechev says.

The latest example is only a few days old. Pitiful people brought to the Four Paws vet stationery a stray dog, shot in the spine. As it usually happens in such cases there are no witnesses and the scot-free armed killer is still somewhere in Sofia. The animal had to be euthanized because of the heavy wounds. No alarm has been sent to the police. “Many people don’t do it, as they are aware that very few of these crimes are solved,” Yavor Gechev explains and adds that sometimes even the police officers themselves cover such crimes.

People will be more motivated to alarm the police if they see results. However, over the past 4 years since the introduction of animal violence penalties only two people have been sentenced to 3 months in prison only and the fines imposed are to the tune of some EUR 500.

“The court also tends to show mercy towards such people. That is why the next thing that we will demand will be more seriousness for these trials. No matter how good the police are at doing their job, we won’t achieve anything if the court doesn’t imprison the criminals.”

The zoo police will follow the Dutch model. Two officers within each district directorate of the interior ministry will investigate cases of violence, mutilation, death and later on – trafficking of exotic animals. The ministry is expected to select people with nice attitude towards animals who are motivated and speak foreign languages. Those will be trained by Dutch lectors. If everything runs smoothly, the zoo police will be able to kick off its activities in about 6 months.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev