A new Pro Animals Association (BOSPA) has been established in Bolesławiec. Zbigniew Herbut has become its president. The idea to establish the organization came from Hanna Tarnowska (vice president). “The way we treat animals shows what kind of people we are,” says Tarnowska. “The recent reports from Poland about animal abuse shocked me. Animals are still treated as objects. We want to make people more sensitive to their plight and simply help them.”
The BOSPA president wants to create a strong lobby in support of helping animals and to cooperate with all organizations and associations—everyone who cares about this issue. “We are not taking anyone’s place, and we exclude no one,” says the Association’s president. “We want to put care for homeless animals back on its feet. We want to protect their rights, but also respect people and their rights—for example, the right to a clean city, free of dog excrement and the fear of being bitten by a poorly trained and consequently aggressive dog.”
The Association’s founders emphasize the importance of volunteers such as Laura Musiał and Weronika Kwiecińska. The young members of the Association combine their love of animals with providing them real help. They visit homeless dogs at the Bolesławiec holding facility and take them for walks so that the animals do not become feral and remain suitable for adoption. “I am tired of situations in which everyone cries over a poor cat wandering the streets, but no one will take it home because it is flea-ridden and mangy,” explains Zbigniew Herbut. “We advocate sterilizing homeless animals and will press city councillors to allocate money for this purpose.”
The BOSPA president has clearly defined tasks and campaign plans. In spring, Association members will collect signatures for a petition calling for special green areas to be designated for animals. “A dog being led on a leash is sad. An animal needs to run, but there is no space for that in the city,” explains the president. “We need fenced areas with bins for dog waste. Dog owners also need an alternative so they do not have to take their dogs to a playground or park.”
The BOSPA Association intends to educate the public, organize fairs where homeless animals can be adopted, and cooperate with the local government. The Association’s main objective is to ensure that a shelter for homeless animals is built in Bolesławiec.
(information from Grażyna Hanaf)