The sorry plight of abandoned dogs was highlighted once again today, this time by Stavros Malas — a former health minister and currently professor at the University of Nicosia and foundation chair for the Veterinary School.
In a post on Facebook, Malas said he had found the three dogs on the Orkontas to Kambos road, fed them and expressed the hope that their owner would be found.
About an hour later, Malas said arrangements have been made for the dogs to be taken to an animal shelter.
He also posted a message on Twitter saying he had found the dogs in a terrible condition and thanked police for their immediate response. “Arrangements have been made to take them to a shelter,” he said.
The three dogs were ‘lucky’ in their misfortune: thanks to their chance encounter with a concerned citizen they are now safe.
Thousands of dogs which are abandoned every year, many of them hunting dogs that are dumped. Some are rescued and taken to hard pressed animal shelters which are struggling to cope.
And although authorities have been promising more action to improve animal welfare in Cyprus, including through harsher penalties for animal abuse, little progress has been seen so far.
Βρήκα αυτά τα αδέσποτα σκυλιά στο δάσος σήμερα σε άθλια κατάσταση. Ευχαριστώ την @Cyprus_Police για την άμεση ανταπόκριση. Έγιναν διευθετήσεις για μεταφορά τους σε καταφύγιο. pic.twitter.com/M84rTFKy6R
— Stavros Malas (@StavrosMalasCY) September 29, 2019
