Where do I report animal cruelty?

According the Cyprus Animal Welfare Act, 46/1, 1994-2002, the Competent Authorities to enforce the Animal Protection Law are:        

The Government Vets and

The Police, separately or jointly.

This means:

1. The Government Veterinary Inspectors can investigate a cruelty or neglect case and give the necessary instructions to the citizen breaking the law (how to improve the living conditions of an animal). However, if this person does not comply with the instructions within a reasonable time limit, they have the right to confiscate the animal.
   

2. If is a case of severe neglect they can cooperate with the Police Authorities and take the case to the court. (attached the Dog Check List provided by the Government Veterinary Services)
   

3. If a citizen reports a cruelty case to the Police and the Police is not aware of how the living conditions of an animal should be, then they must call the District Government Veterinary Office for advice.
   

Does CVA have any power to investigate animal cruelty?

CVA has no legal authority to investigate or intervene on behalf of abused and neglected animals. However, we can provide information and support to concerned citizens.

If citizens don’t want  to get involve with the Government Veterinary Offices , CVA can undertake on their behalf to report to the District Government Offices any cruelty/neglect case, without using your name. However we will need your name in order to report back on the outcome of the case and of course for our records.

Island Wide Telephone Line 7000 3647 (DOGS)

In case of a direct cruelty to your animal, for instance someone killed your dog, poisoned your cat, then you have to report it directly to your nearest police station. If the relevant police officer refuses to investigate the case please do contact us or you can report it to the Head of the Police by a registered letter or by hand to his office in Nicosia Police Headquarters. Denying help to a citizen is punishable.

If you witness or suspect animal cruelty, you should contact one of the following authorities (see list of telephone numbers).

DISTRICT GOVERNMENT VETERINARY OFFICES Telephone numbers  and Faxes

                                                                                 Telephone                   Fax

Nicosia District Veterinary Office                              2280 5240                  2280 5174

Nisou Veterinary Office                                            2252 2302                  2252 4598

Akaki Veterinary Office                                            2282 1346                   2282 2218

Limassol Veterinary Office                                       2581 9513                   2530 6540 

Avdimou Veterinary Office                              

Larnaka District Veterinary Office                             2482 1275                  2430 4270

Famagusta District Veterinary Office                        2472 1041                   2472 2811

Pafos District Veterinary Office                                 2682 1261                  2630 6198

POLICE STATION TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

Nicosia Police Stations

Strovolos 2260 7760

Agios Dometios 2280 2838

Lakatamia 2280 2888

Lykavitos 2280 2380

Οmorfita 2280 2800

Pafos Gate 2280 2200

Palaichori 2281 6655

Kokkinotrimithia 2283 2447

Peristerona 2246 5035

Pera Chorio 2245 5995

Ledra Palace 2245 1944

Agios Dometios  2287 8265

Potamia 2252 1453

Ledras 2267 1434

Latsia 2246 7007

Klirou 2246 2376

Morphou Police Stations

Εvrichou 2280 2524

Astromeritis 2246 5037

Κampos 2287 4556

Kakopetria 2281 3977

Pedoulas 2281 6720

Κato Pyrgos 2681 2940

Famagusta Police Stations

Αgia Napa  2380 3200

Αvgorou 2381 9782

Derynia 2381 2288

Xylofagour 2481 5870

Xylotympou 2482 2270

Paralimni 2380 3024

Larnaca Police Stations

Αthienou 2481 1420

Αradippou 2481 3750

Κοfinou 2480 4380

Κiti 2481 6290

Lefkara 2481 1133

Limassol Police Stations

Agios Ioannis  2580 5280

Germasogeia 2580 5300

Αgros 2552 1316

Αvdimou 2581 4370

Εpiskopi 2593 2527

Κalo Chorio  2554 2325

Lania 2543 2530

Μoni 2563 3339

Pachna 2594 3743

Pissouri 2522 2611

Platres 2581 3018

Τroodos 2581 3999

Polemidia 2582 1550

Paphos Police Stations

Κouklia 2681 2820

PolisChrusochous 2680 6280

Stroumbi 2681 4060

Kelokedara 2681 7110

Panagia 2672 2344

Pegeia 268 15542

Pick up your telephone and make the call NOW!

Help animals to improve their living conditions. Give them a hope to change their way of life by finding a new owner. If you don’t report cruelty/neglect in your neighborhoods or where ever else is taking place, nobody will ever know of the particular animal abuse.

How to proceed with an Animal Cruelty /Neglect Complain

Before making an animal cruelty/neglect complain

1. If you have the appropriate knowledge, advise him/her how he/she could take care of his/her animal
   

2. If not, then you can encourage him/her to get advice from an animal welfare organization or a vet
   

3. If he/she refuses to listen, then you can report the case to the Appropriate Authority, which is the Cyprus Veterinary Services or your local Police Station (jointly or separately). If it is about a mere negligence the Veterinary Services is the appropriate authority, but in the event of severe animal mistreatment you should inform both the Veterinary Services and the Police.
   

Information on hand when reporting animal cruelty/neglect complain

Try to gather the following information before submitting a report of animal cruelty:

1. If you see somebody ill-treating an animal, keep cool and check whether you can interfere alone or not. This person might turn against you. If you cannot achieve anything, try to keep in mind as many details of the event as possible.
   

1. Call immediately the Veterinary Services or the Police Station in your area; give your name, telephone and address, so that the veterinary inspector or the police can inform you about the results of his investigation (list).
   

1. If you don’t want to reveal your name, the Competent Authority will not be able to inform you about the results of the investigation or about any convictions. It is very important to be informed about the outcome of your case, firstly for yourself and the future condition of the animal but also because the appropriate authority might not bother to investigate it.
   

2. Give a detailed verbal or written report, of what you observed or witnessed. Try to give the inspector as much as possible precise information
   

3. Give the exact date and time of the event or if not possible,  approximately.
   

4. Give the exact address (street and Nr.) the animal is now or was at the time of abuse.
   

5. Describe both the animal and the condition it was in.
   

6. Make a statement in the event that there was any dead body of an animal, if you have spotted some kind of poison, cages, traps, tools etc
   

7. Give the name or names of the persons that were involved and their telephones if you know them.
   

8. If any witnesses were present at the event, make sure to take their names and telephones. They can be useful in the court.
   

9. If any cars were also involved take their registration number and their brand name.
   

10. Finally, make a statement that you are willing to testify at a possible hearing.
    

11. Supply, if possible, photographs of the location, the animals in question and the surrounding area.
    

12. Be careful not to put yourself in danger! Do not enter another person’s property without permission, and exercise great caution around unfamiliar animals who may be frightened or in pain.
    

13. If you can, provide law enforcement officers with the names and contact information of other people who have firsthand information about the abusive situation.
    

14. You should remember that i.e. in order to find somebody guilty for animal poisoning, eyewitnesses are required so, you should be prepared for that.
    

15. Accurate information will strengthen law enforcement.
    

16. Ask for the name and serial number of the police officer who is taking down the complain. The same with the Government Veterinary Inspectors.
    

17. Ask what action is planned
    

18. Ask the Competent Authority to notify you in writing about the results of the investigation.
    

Νever give away a document without making a copy for yourself!

Anonymous a complaint about animal cruelty

You can file an anonymous complain to CVA. Usually Government Veterinary Services and the Police require you name and telephone number. However both of them must be able to keep confidentiality.

It is better to file an anonymous report than to do nothing—but please consider providing your information to whoever is taking the complaint. The case is more likely to be pursued when there are credible witnesses willing to stand behind the report and, if necessary, testify in court about what they may have witnessed.

Confiscating an animal.

Reporting cruelty is always the right thing to do. Because of the non existence of any system from the Veterinary Services or the Police, usually the animal is not removed from a home unless absolutely necessary. An animal is taken from his or her owner, if there is a big life threatening problem. A seized animal, if placed to a reputable animal shelter, will have the chance to get the necessary help, whether that help is nutritional or medical. Also, if an intervention by law enforcement leads to a person’s conviction, you may be proud to have helped save other animals from the same abuse: in many countries, convicted animal abusers are barred from owning pets. In Cyprus convictions on animal abuse are counted in one hand, therefore serial killers or abusers are never convicted. 

Follow up on your report of animal cruelty

When you report animal cruelty, keep a careful record of exactly whom you contacted, the date of the contacts, copies of any documents you provided to the appropriate authority and the content and outcome of your discussion. This will make following up much easier.

If you do not receive a response from the officer assigned to your case within a reasonable length of time, make a follow-up call to inquire about the progress of the investigation. As a last resort, and only if you are reasonably certain that no action has been taken on your complaint, you may wish to contact the head of the Veterinary Services or the Head of the Police to request action.

Please keep in mind that both Law Enforcement Authorities operate with limited personnel and resources and most of the times would not react on time. Keep calling them to find out the outcome of your complain.

Report animal cruelty. It is important

CVA finds out about animal abuse through your phone calls. Calls from concerned citizens who witness cruelty in their neighborhoods, in the country site, pet shops, small animal zoos etc.  Without your phone call, many animals would remain mute and unable to defend themselves. Your  Voice is their way to be freed from their abusive owners. That's why it's so important to learn how to identify and report crimes against animals .

IDENTIFYING ANIMAL CRUELTY

What do we mean by animal cruelty?

Animal cruelty occurs when someone intentionally injures or harms an animal or when a person willfully deprives an animal of :

1. Food,
   

2. Water
   

3. Necessary medical care
   

4. Appropriate Shelter according its kind
   

5. Means to express it physiological and Ethnological Needs
   

6. 
   

Here are some signs that may indicate abuse or neglect:

1. Animals with tick or flea infestations
   

2. Animals with open wounds on the body or signs of old ones
   

3. Animals with patches of missing hair
   

4. Extremely thin, starving animal
   

5. Animals Limping or unable to stand on their feet
   

6. Animals who are repeatedly left alone without food and water
   

7. Dogs that  and often chained in a yard for all their lives
   

8. Animals who have been hit by cars and have not been taken to a veterinarian
   

9. Animals who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions (sun, rain etc).
   

10. Animals living in unsanitary conditions – in their excrements.
    

11. Animals who are fearful or act aggressively when approached by their owners
    

12. An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
    

13. 
    

Animal Neglect is Cruelty

You don’t have to hit or kill an animal to be cruel —depriving an animal of food, water or necessary medical care is neglect, is a form of cruelty.

There are two general categories of animal neglect:

- simple neglect

- malicious neglect.

Simple neglect (failure to provide basic needs) is not necessarily considered a criminal act, and can often be resolved by the intervention of the Government Veterinary Services  which may be able to offer resources and educate offenders on how to provide proper care for their animals. However, there is a distinction  between simple animal neglect and intentional neglect. Intentional neglect  is considered a more serious and must be prosecutable.

Neglect can also reveal cases of “animal hoarding,” the accumulation of large numbers of animals in extremely unsanitary conditions, often resulting in the death of many animals and potentially serious health consequences for the people who are living with them.

LAWS AND ANIMAL CRUELTY

Laws against animal cruelty in Cyprus

Yes. Cyprus has the Animal Welfare Act 46/1 1994-2002. Access to the Animal Welfare Act 46/1 1994-2002. This law, with the exception with a few loopholes, is one of the best in the world. For example, the Animal Welfare Act following a ministerial act, can regulate the sale, handling and transport of certain animals.

The BIG PROBLEM IS that there is no COMPETENT AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE IT!

That is why we are Campaigning for the creation of Animal Welfare Police ( two events)

-May 23 Protest outside Ministry of Agriculture

-June 27 Musical Event at Phaneromeni Square

Penalties to people that break the animal welfare law

Cyprus has no history in punishing offenders for animal cruelty simply because there is not a reputable Animal Cruelty Law Enforcement!, In the absence of Animal Welfare Police or trained Inspectors, offenders are seldom prosecuted. Two or three known cases are:

- Τhe case of the three soldiers that burned a dog alive! They were not going to be prosecuted at all but at the time CVA was formed. Pressure from our group, forced the military to court Marshall them. They were sentenced to three months in jail, but got out earlier. Their task in jail was to care for the police dogs! (newspaper clips)

- The second case was of a man that killed a dog. He was sentenced 4 months jail. He will probably get out in 2 months.(newspaper clips)

- Third case is the one in Paphos that owner and dog were runned over by a person annoyed by the dogs presence in the sea.(newspaper clips)

In a nutshell, very few cases get to be punished. Most will not—the penalties for animal cruelty vary widely according the case (the seriousness of the crime or the offender’s criminal record).

Sometimes, repetition of a crime against animals can lead to heavier conviction.

Veterinarians and pets victims of animal cruelty

In Cyprus is not obligatory for the veterinarians to report suspicions of animal cruelty, to the appropriate authorities. CVA will try to encourage veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty and at the same time will lobby to make it a law.

We believe that since veterinarians have a responsibility to the welfare of animals, can be the first to detect animal abuse.  They should take an active role in detecting, preventing and reporting animal abuse. Efforts will be made that the association will support the adoption of laws requiring, under certain circumstances, veterinarians to report suspected cases of animal abuse. Reporting should only be required when client education has failed, when there is no likelihood that client education will be successful, or in situations in which immediate intervention is indicated and only when the law exempts veterinarians from civil and criminal liability for reporting.

Neighbors and pets

Citizens that live in animal friendly neighborhoods are VERY LUCKY.  Unfortunately neighbors are not always friendly to animals. If you feel that your pet is in danger, do whatever you can to protect him or her from harm as follows:

-Bring your outdoor cat or dog inside

-Always accompany your dog outside and keep him on a leash at all times.

- Don’t let your dog roam around uncontrolled, it is against the law.

- However cats in Cyprus are still considered animals that live free. There is not a Cat Law stipulating that you have to register or microchip neighborhood cats or even your own.

If you are verbally threaten by a neighbors:

-File a complaint with your local police station

-Verbal or written threats may constitute criminal harassment.

- Be sure to keep any tangible evidence of threats against your pets and yourself.

- If the threats are serious enough, you may be able to get a restraining order against the person making them.

- If this is the way you wish to go, enlist the aid of a lawyer.

- Above all, please be careful.

Absence of Animal Welfare Police in Cyprus or any other properly trained Inspectorate like other countries

Unfortunately Cyprus, although has the Animal Welfare Act since 1994, until today was unable to develop a special trained inspectorate or animal welfare police.

Establishing a dedicated team of animal cruelty officers with investigatory and arrest powers, requires decision from the state and of course funding! This is extremely difficult to achieve, especially in Cyprus.

According Cyprus Animal Welfare Act, the competent authority to investigate animal cruelty/neglect cases are the Government Vets and the Police Authority, either separately or jointly. The next best thing you can do is to make sure that complaints of animal cruelty are answered by the police officers, who already have the power to enforce the laws—including animal cruelty laws. Police are paid with lots of euros—you have the right to be demanding and make sure that they are willing and able to respond to cruelty.

Lobby to create Animal Welfare Police in Cyprus

Yes—let them know that you are taking the incident seriously. Make it clear that you are very interested in pursuing the case and that you are willing to lend assistance however you can. Although law enforcement officers must pay attention to anonymous reports of serious crimes, including animal cruelty, they might not be so willing  to follow up on cases where there are no credible witnesses willing to stand behind the report and, if necessary, testify in court about what they may have witnessed.

Provide law enforcement inspectors with a concise, written statement of what you observed, giving dates and approximate times whenever possible. You may wish to photograph the location, the animals and the surrounding area but please be careful not to trespass.  If you can, provide law enforcement with the names and contact information for other people who have firsthand information about the situation.