The head of the Centre for Wild, Exotic and Domestic Animals Rescue “Feldman Ecopark Good Home” Iryna Podvoiska took part in the round-table meeting “Cruelty to animals. Bringing to justice” which has took place on October 2, in the VREMIA Media Centre.
She told about the concept of animal police – the organizational structure created to assist National Police in prevention and disclosure of crimes against animals and about the first steps on the way of its creation.
“All of us remember the sensational case concerning murder of kittens in a mini-shelter (Zalyutino district) this summer. Then during communication of animal protection activists with police officers, it turned out that the latter, owing to the objective reasons, need assistance. In particular, it was about conducting judicial and veterinary examination. Our Centre rendered assistance, and we hope it will help to complete the investigation. This case became for us a starting point for the beginning of practical work on creation of animal police — Iryna Podvoiska told. — We’ve involved lawyers, studied the legislation and drafted the charter of public organization which will advise and train police officers on the volunteer beginnings to render them other assistance and even to participate together with them in patrol. We’ve already managed to find adherents among law enforcement authorities, and in the nearest future we plan to realize the pilot project of animal police in the Osnovianskii district of Kharkiv. In the nearest future we with the assistance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs hope to extend this experience to the whole Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine”.
The participants of the round table discussed a situation with legislative regulation of bringing to justice for animal abuse, issues connected with interaction with law-enforcement officers, in particular, stopped on dealing with issues on detection of crimes against animals and the problematical character of carrying out of related judicial and veterinary examinations. The meeting was initiated by the Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine and the deputy of the Kharkiv city council Natalia Kovalyova, the co-organizers the Head Department of National Police in the Kharkiv region, the Kharkiv Regional Universal Science Library and the Council of lawyers of the Kharkiv region.
It should be reminded that Feldman Ecopark Good Home is the incorporated project of the World Open Foundation for Animal Rehabilitation and Reintroduction (WOFARR). Besides, it should be reminded that in May, WOFARR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine singed the Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at the counteraction to cruelty to animals. It provides collaboration concerning the issues of prevention, detection and suppression of offences in domestic animals maintenance and counteraction to cruelty to animals.
