Skopje resident fined €550 for abandoning kittens
The Food and Veterinary Agency imposed the first fine for abandoning newborn animals after a citizen reported the incident with photos and videos.
A resident of Skopje has been fined €550 after abandoning a litter of newborn kittens in a park near a shopping centre, the Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) reported. The case was documented and reported by a citizen who provided photographs and video footage of the animals left behind.
The informant submitted the materials to the public enterprise Public Enterprise "Laika" (JP "Laika"), which forwarded the case. Following the complaint, an official veterinarian from the FVA carried out an extraordinary inspection yesterday at the site where the kittens had been left.
How the suspect was identified
To establish who committed the offence, inspectors obtained vehicle registration information and, with data provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, identified the person who had transported and abandoned the kittens by matching licence plates.
The Skopje resident was sanctioned with a fine of €550 (in denar equivalent) under Article 26 of the Law on the Protection and Welfare of Animals and Article 59 of the Law on Veterinary Health.
The FVA emphasised the importance of citizens reporting animal abandonment and, when possible, supplying photographic or video evidence. Reports can be made 24 hours a day on the free hotline 0800 3 2222 or via email to the agency.
Authorities said swift citizen reporting and documented evidence were decisive in locating the perpetrator and enforcing the sanction.
Photo: abcrumley / Flickr / Wikimedia Commons / CC2.0
