On Friday evening, on Widok Street, by the Ruch kiosk, an unknown perpetrator threw a small kitten into a pit. The opening was blocked with a stone. The kitten’s terrifying cries woke Dominika, a teenager who lives nearby, in the middle of the night. She and her mother rescued the animal. While looking for a new owner, they had to rely on people’s kindness, although they had the right to take the animal to a municipal shelter or animal refuge. They had the right, but there was nowhere to take it. In Bolesławiec, no one ensured that such a place was established.
“Our city is bare and carefree in this respect,” says Anna Ryżewska, president of the Animal Aid Association. “Zieleń-Plan, where abandoned animals are theoretically kept, is absolutely unsuitable for puppies, let alone kittens. The municipal government is only taking its first steps when it comes to its statutory care for and protection of homeless animals,” Ryżewska adds (See our article: What about the programme to combat animal homelessness?).
Anna Ryżewska knows of more cases of animal abuse in Bolesławiec from accounts she has heard. Several years ago, one newspaper described the story of a woman who called the police because her neighbour was shooting at her cat with an air rifle. The shots proved fatal despite the veterinarian’s intervention.
The most shocking, however, is the story of a feral cat whose abuser knocked out several teeth, broke its hind legs and injured its tail. The cat also had a wound on its abdomen. It required major surgery. The cat is alive, but needs constant care.
“A sixth-grade student of mine told me about kittens that young boys were hitting against a garage door for fun,” Anna Ryżewska recalls. “One of our members also told me about a woman who cared for homeless cats and once found a burned cat on her doormat.”
Why do people abuse animals
“People do not realise how an animal functions,” says Anna Ryżewska. “Apart from hunger, thirst and physiological needs, an animal also feels cold, pain and fear, as well as sadness, longing, joy and attachment. For many years, in books and newspapers, scientists studying animal behaviour have reported that animals are capable of experiencing higher emotions. Poles are not taught about this in schools.”
Anna Ryżewska also stresses that aggression towards stray animals is connected with our very low awareness of the law and the penalties for breaking it. We also very rarely react when we witness an animal being abused.
“Abusers feel unpunishable, because who will report them to the police? Certainly not the neighbour with whom they drank vodka and barbecued so pleasantly! And the old lady who was passing by and saw it—surely she does not want to get hit in the head?” Ryżewska adds.
Adriana Szajwaj, a spokesperson for the District Police Headquarters, says that people do not want to talk about those who abuse animals. Unfortunately, without witnesses who identify such people, or without catching the perpetrator in the act, the police cannot act effectively. “In such situations, neighbours clam up,” Adriana Szajwaj laments. “Of course, every observed incident should be reported, but for the police to take any specific action, they need the perpetrator to be identified.”
The Animal Protection Act clearly defines abandoning an animal, particularly a dog or cat, by its owner or another person responsible for its care as animal abuse (Article 6, paragraph 2, point 11).
The following acts are also punishable: maliciously frightening or teasing animals; intentionally injuring or mutilating an animal; beating it with hard or sharp objects; hitting it on the head, lower abdomen or lower parts of the limbs; keeping animals in unsuitable living conditions, including in conditions of flagrant untidiness, or in rooms or cages that prevent them from maintaining their natural position.
In such cases, the Act provides for the following penalties: imprisonment for up to one year, restriction of liberty or a fine; or, when the perpetrator acts with particular cruelty, imprisonment for up to two years, restriction of liberty or a fine. The court may also award compensation of between PLN 25 and PLN 2,500 to the Animal Protection Society or for another animal-protection purpose designated by the court.
What to do when you find a sick or injured stray animal
“If we find a homeless animal, we should first check its physical condition and, if anything raises doubts, go to a veterinarian as soon as possible,” Anna Ryżewska urges. “This is especially important with kittens and puppies, which become chilled and dehydrated more quickly than adult animals. The condition of such a young animal can change from hour to hour; sometimes minutes matter.”
“Our municipality has signed an agreement with veterinarian Marta Surdyka (animal clinic, 9c Staszica Street), which provides for free treatment of homeless dogs and cats—more precisely, ‘providing assistance to a homeless animal injured in an accident or to a sick animal; providing the animal with necessary medical assistance,’” Ryżewska informs us.
“The animal should be taken to the veterinarian by the Municipal Police,” adds the SPZ president. “Unfortunately, this is a problem, because the Municipal Police are most willing to go out to dogs, particularly aggressive ones.”
“In practice, good people bring in an injured cat and pay for its treatment themselves out of goodwill, or we share the costs,” says veterinarian Marta Surdyka. “Since signing the agreement with the municipality, I have reported only one case of treating a homeless cat for which I was reimbursed according to the agreement. The problem is the paperwork and the very low treatment rates, which do not correspond to the actual costs.”
To sum up: generally, we do not feel responsible for the environment and its components, including animals, which continue to be treated as an unimportant problem. Meanwhile, people who fight for their rights are treated as eccentrics. Our authorities take care of modernising the wastewater treatment plant, modernising the District Heating Company (filters reducing CO2 emissions) and waste segregation. But they do not think about protecting animals, for which we, as human beings, are responsible. It is very difficult to enforce care for beings that depend on us.
(information by Grażyna Hanaf; the article was prepared with the assistance of Anna Ryżewska)