News
GAWF is a member of Eurogroup for Animals in Brussels and has recently taken action to support a ban on cloning of animals for meat and milk production.
Crete is possibly one of the worst areas in Greece for animal neglect and cruelty. GAWF receives regular shocking reports of abuse, poisonings, abandoned litters of puppies and kittens and countless dogs living a miserable existence tied up on the end of short chains with only a rusty old barrel as a shelter.
A number of animal welfare groups on the island joined together to organise a demonstration to protest against the animal welfare issues on Saturday 20th June.
GAWF will participate in a nationwide protest organised by Strayshelp against animal poisoning - a widespread and inhumane method of culling stray and owned pet animals, even in the very centre of Athens.
Back in February, we brought you news of Rocky, a chained dog (living with a number of chickens) that is never walked, lives in a small, fenced enclosure and is often left without food and water. GAWF visited Rocky, who had previously been injured in a fight with another dog, and took photographs of him and his unsatisfactory environment. We then sent an official complaint to Athens Prefecture and Ministry of Agriculture asking them to take action in line with animal welfare law.
GAWF, along with other animal welfare and environmental organizations will be participating in the biggest exhibition on environmental awareness in the "Technopolis" of Athens Municipaltiy, in Gkazi (metro station Kerameikos).
When we receive reports of individual acts of cruelty and abuse, as we all too often do, it can be hard not to despair. We recently heard, through the network of about 80 Greek welfare groups of which we are a member, about a case that made us, once again, wonder at the depths to which people can sink. A lovely cocker spaniel was found hanged from a tree in the area of Chania in Crete. No one knows why this happened or who was responsible.
Judges have picked the winners and schools will be receiving notification with invitations to the prize giving ceremonies.
Four MEPs have put forward a new Written Declaration seeking to enhance the protection of companion animals in Europe.
The autobiography of Her Serene Highness Princess Elisabeth de Croÿ
As told to Joy Leney
Foreword by Donald M. Broom & tribute by Jenny Seagrove
‘A friend to every animal. Strong in commitment and passion. Selfless in her determination to help the helpless and relieve suffering’ – Virginia McKenna, Founder of Born Free Foundation
Greece’s local competent authorities are consistently failing to ensure that necessary animal welfare checks are carried out on farms, FVO inspectors have concluded.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change decided that in an area of Attiki, Hymettos, which is a mountainous area, hunting will be banned.
Currently, 90% of eggs produced in Greece come from hens kept in battery cages. The Hen Directive, passed in 1999, banning battery cages, comes into force in 2012 and at this time, producers are obliged to replace battery cages with the new ‘enriched cage’. Although this cage is environmentally enriched, the hens actually have less room than they have in a battery cage.
GAWF recently received an email about neglected animals in the area of Athens, specifically in Kato Kifisia, which is an opulent suburb.
In 2009, GAWF received an email from a concerned visitor to Greece regarding a turtle (Red Eared Slider) that was living in cramped and inappropriate conditions in a Skopelos Hotel lobby.
GAWF receives many emails about unwanted, abandoned, abused or neglected animals but very rarely for young, healthy, expensive breed dogs – but this was the case with a cute Jack Russell whose owner had plans to euthanase it.
The Brighton Eco Veggie Fayre will be held on March 20th 2010 at the Hove centre, East Sussex.
World Horse Welfare, GAWF and horse lovers across Europe are celebrating a giant step forward in the campaign to end the long-distance transportation of horses to slaughter.
Between the 23rd and 27th January 2010, four members of GAWF’s equine team visited various villages in the area of Chalkidiki where they treated 177 equines including mules, donkeys, and horses. Most were working animals carrying wood from mountain areas. The weather conditions were treacherous, due to snow and extreme cold and this prevented some animal owners from turning up on the day to have their animals treated.
URGENT UPDATE - deadline extended until February 11th 2010. Please contact Greek MEPs and urge them to sign up to this important declaration. If over 50% of MEPs sign up the European Commission will have to take note of public support for the introduction of new laws to protect horses travelling to slaughter. If less than 50% sign up the Declaration will fail and be ignored. Please show your support and help to end the cruel and unnecessary practice of live transport of horses for slaughter in the EU. See below for a list of Greek MEPs to contact with their email addresses.
GAWF has been mobilising its friends and supporters to lobby Greek MEPs to sign Written Declaration 54/2009 that aims to limit journey times of horses being sent for slaughter in the EU.
A retired policeman living in the village of Platanos, close to Ancient Olympia, tied a mare to the back of his car with rope and started driving. According to witnesses who reported the case to the police, the car was going so fast that the poor horse fell down and was dragged for about 2 kilometres which resulted in horrific injuries including both front legs being broken, smashed ribs and a huge hole in the stomach causing the intestines to be uncovered. The horse was screaming for hours before the state vet finally put her to sleep.
Animal Lover Frieda Richards has written a book about animal welfare. The book includes an article about GAWF and all proceeds from the sale will go to animal welfare on Crete.
To purchase a copy and support the animals on Crete click here.
Thanks to the generous donation from Cordelia and Pavlos (click here for information) three new leaflets, packed full of fun activities for school children have been produced by GAWF.
Our Equine Project team were out on the road treating working equines in December 2009. Please read on for a short update on their work.
On Sunday 20th December 2009 from 12 – 4pm at the Athens Ηilton, Greek NGO’s working to protect endangered species and domestic animals will have the opportunity to present their work, actions, ideas and concerns. Please join our cause and be there.
The 5th GAWF Equine Seminar took place in Hydra from the 26th - 28th of September 2009. Elisa Geskou, Garry Draper, Dominic Moss and Alex Hall spent two and a half days on the island where they treated 63 equines and trained many equine owners.
To celebrate its 50th birthday The Greek Animal Welfare Fund has produced two striking advertisements which aim to change the way people feel towards abandoning cats and dogs. The advertisements have already been published widely across Greece.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has found Greece guilty of failing to comply with several EU rules for the protection of animals during transport and at the time of killing.
Cordelia Madden and Pavlos Kanelopoulos, who were married at the beginning of July, asked their friends to make donations to GAWF instead of giving them presents.
The Lost Unicorn Hotel, in Tsangarada, Pelio, has been awarded ‘the Good Eggs Award’ by the Greek Animal Welfare Fund. The hotel has become the first business in Greece to show compassion and change from eggs produced by battery hens to free range. These awards are given by animal welfare societies to businesses all over Europe that use only free range eggs.
Artists donate their work to help GAWF raise money for Equines in Greece.
We have recently heard about an incident of appalling cruelty that took place near the town of Sitia, in eastern Crete.
Warning: this report includes material/images that some may find distressing.
One of our patrons, Princess Elizabeth de Croy passed away on 18 May 2009. Her life was full and meaningful especially when she devoted so much of her energies and resources to her shelter at Refuge de Thierney in France and in using her influence on a world wide scale in helping others promote animal and human welfare.
Following the abuse of a circus elephant in Northern Greece, GAWF has presented its Circus Petition to the Greek Ministry of Agriculture
While the Greek Ministry of Agriculture procrastinates over the introduction to parliament of the draft law prepared for GAWF by our lawyer, Iasmi Papatheodorou, the Circus Massimo continues to humiliate animals as it tours in Northern Greece. On 2 May 2009 welfare activists in the area witnessed, and were able to record on video, evidence of the apparent maltreatment of a circus elephant. The unfortunate animal is shown being viciously and repeatedly attacked with an elephant hook. This video came to GAWF via ARCTUROS, the Greek conservation organisation, and has since been widely circulated.
Warning: this report includes materials/images that some may find distressing.
During the past months there have been several visits by vets to the island. The first took place in November 08 and combined neutering, vaccination, and distribution of antibiotics.Carol and Amalia from GAWF managed to neuter cats and dogs at the request of interested owners. In many cases, cats on Hydra are not real pets but are not real strays either. They are often fed and supervised by good-willed individuals, who do not keep them in their home, but love them and want to see them happy and healthy. The decision to neuter them and to address Hydra Ark for that operation is a responsible and generous way to improve those cats' conditions. Hydra Ark is always willing to help and satisfy this kind of requests.
When Greece was suddenly ravaged by multiple forest fires late in the summer of 2007, we had many enquiries from anxious supporters who were concerned about the animals that must have been caught up in the events. We did our best to provide information but the Greek state’s resources were desperately overstretched and it is fair to say that chaos reigned for a few weeks.
