Stray Dogs Have Bitten 77,500 Citizens, Municipalities Paid 25 Million Euros
In the past six years, cities and municipalities in Serbia have paid out at least EUR 25 million as compensation for stray dog bites, with 77,500 citizens being victims of attacks. Despite the growing number of shelters, as well as caught strays, population control has not been yielding the expected results, demonstrating a need for new measures on the national and local level.
A round table in the Palace of Serbia, organized by NALED and ORCA in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Ministry of Public Administration and Local Government, pointed out to a need for developing a national strategy for the control of the stray dog population, as well as local programs for control, since 78,8% of cities and municipalities do not have one.
"Dog bites are a consequence of the system’s dysfunctionality, and despite regulations being mostly in line with EU regulations, local governments, in particular smaller ones, do not have the capacity or resources for implementation. This is why we will be working on improving laws, creating new procedures for resolving the issue of stray dogs, and establishing shelters. Intensive promotion of responsible ownership and adoption, as well as sterilization, will be conducted " – said the Minister of Agriculture Branislav Nedimović.
A member of NALED’s Managing Board Vladan Vasić highlighted that local governments have an issue with citizens falsely reporting bites to receive compensation, which ranges from 25,000 to RSD 100,000. He stated that it is necessary to form a state-level database of compensation requests, where it is possible to cross-reference data from different cities and municipalities to determine who is ‘frequently bitten’ by dogs. It is also necessary to harmonize doctors’ practice and medical documentation that confirms injuries, since it is not uncommon for doctors to confirm dog bites without there being any evidence for it.
ORCA Director Elvir Burazerović stated the EUR 25 million figure for compensation paid out shows how significant it is to initiate dialogue with line institutions, local governments and judicial bodies on resolving the matter of abandoned dogs. He added that it is very important that the recognition of this economic problem for municipalities and cities is just a consequence of a wider problem of inadequate control of abandoned animal populations.
According to data compiled by ORCA and NALED, the number of injuries caused by dog bites in the period from 2010 to 2015 increased by 50%, from 9,867 to 15,024 annually – at this rate, the number of injuries could reach even 20,000. In the same period, the number of caught dogs rose by 75%, with shelter space found for nearly 172,000 animals (number of local asylums increased from 16 to 59). However, 96% of municipalities and cities state that they need help in resolving these issues.
Apart from developing a national strategy and compensation request database, proposed measures include the introduction of a new crime ‘abandoning animal(s)’ and harmonized judicial practice for compensations, improving the work of Central Dog Registry, as well as increasing the capacities of Veterinary Administration.
When considering local government levels, apart from developing local population control programs, such as ORCA’s ‘Per Man and Dog’s Measure’, it is recommended that municipalities create rulebooks for commission activities when reaching decisions on compensation requests per model that was prepared by NALED based on best practices from Serbia, as well as reaching out-of-court settlements. Further on, more efficient work of veterinary public health departments, as well as greater involvement in the education of dog owners on rights, responsibilities, proper care, sterilization and microchip implants is also necessary.