On Friday evening 12.09, several lorries crossed the border carring 68 Lipizzaners. The agreement at ministerial level was not released to the public. The society Freedom for Animals was present on the final day, 22.09, of the combined Croation and Serbian commission's examination of the Lipizzaners at the Bukinac studd in Novi Sad. Shocked and surprised by what was discovered there the society, Freedom for Animals sent a request to Minister Slobodan Milosavljevic and Minister Sasha Dragin for urgent enforcement of the law in the Lipizzaner graveyard at the Bukinac studd in Novi Sad. Urgent removal of the horses from both studds belonging to Bukinac was requested as well as legal action against Bukinac and collaborators for maltreating animals and endangering the environment. Evidence of the actual situation at the studd was delivered to the ministers on DVD. Bukinac threatened the society that he would not hand over the horses if the photographs were released to the public.
Gallery: Lipizzaner graveyard at the Bukinac studd >>
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Graveyard for Lipizzaners at the Bukinac stud
We request the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministryfor the protection of the environment seek urgent enforcement og the Law
The team of Serbian and Croatian veterinary experts have carried out the health examination of the Lipizzaners, originally from the stud farm in Lipik and presently at the stud Novo Naselje near Novi Sad and in Novo Milosevo, as agreed by the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resource Management, Slobodan Milosavljevic, the Croatian minister Petar Cobankovic and the owner of the stud farm "Bukinac" Todor Bukinac. The team of different experts began work on 18. 09. '07 to establish, in the course of 15 days, the state of the horses' health and their identity in accord with the registration records. The exact number of horses to be returned to Croatia has to be established on the basis of the results. To date, only the number of horses has been established, as Komasovic was not willing to submit the registration records to any commission.
Altogether, at both studs, 67 horse with the Lipik brand were examined, a further two could not be caught, bringing the total to 69. Komasovic submitted a list of 79 horses to the commission, dated 04. 07. 2007. The difference in these two numbers is the reason why our institutions were looking the other way, instead of coming face to face with the actual state of the horses at the stud farms. The society for the protection of animals "Freedom for Animals" was present on the final day of the commission's work, Saturday 22. 09. 2007, when the last two horses were examined and samples of blood taken. On that morning while waiting for the members of the commission, the veterinarians who were assisting them and Bukinac himself, we noticed large dogs (Shara-mountain sheep dogs) dragging half chewed horse bones around the property. It is not known how many dogs there are at the stud but over 40 has been mentioned With the help of photographs, which illustrate this story, we wish to inform the public at home and abroad of the actual situation and state of the horses.
| Gallery: Lipizzaner graveyard at the Bukinac studd >> |
Issuing a report that "with the exception of a couple of horses in a state of terminal exhaustion, the remaining horses are in a satisfactory state." is completely bizarre when it is evident that ten, mainly mares died in the recent past, probably due to terminal exhaustion, and that their skeletons and corpses are scattered around the property Novo Naselje, clearly having been torn apart by dogs.
We request
1. That all medical results and inspection of the registration records of the horses from Lipik
be completed until 03.10. 2007
2. That after this date the horses be removed from both stud farms belonging to Todor Bukinac because food donated for the endangered animals is not available to them. The horses at Bukinac stud are not supervised so horses in good condition and stronger according to hierarchy are the first to feed and weaker horses remain hungry. For this reason they should not be held further under these conditions.
3. That the horses be feed adequately and dehelmintisation and other medical care necessary be made available.
4. That the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry for the Protection of the Environment each assume responsibility in accordance with their official duties and take action against Todor Bukinac and all participants in this maltreatment of animals and endangering of the environment in an area on the outskirts of Novi Sad.
5. That the legal responsibility of the Novi Sad, Veterinary Inspection Service, which was aware of the situation and failed to take action, either to prevent the years long suffering of these animals or to regulate the sanitary conditions at the stud farm, be established.
6. That vaccination, treatment for parasites and registration of all dog (more than 40)be undertaken as a matter of urgency, likewise inspection of the numerous swine population at the farm.
| Gallery: Lipizzaner graveyard at the Bukinac studd >> |
In the case that the horses remain at the Bukinac studs after this date and if the State make donations to Todor Bukinac, we will organise protests in front of the Serbian and Croatian Embassies, in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia as well as in the European Union Countries.
Two days after the commission's inspection one more mare died (see photo. Canissa) and hopefully will not finish as food for Bukinac's dogs as she was one of the horses registered during the inspection.
There is no dispute concerning Bukinac's investment for food over the years. Likewise it can not be disputed that Bukinac's stud of Lipizzaners, in excellent condition and valued now at a million eura , derive from the Lipik stud. According to Komasovic, Bukinac started by purchasing seven mares from him and with other horses and the services of stallions from the Lipik stud established his own. For this reason it is not clear why he dares to blackmail two Ministries by starving and ill-treating the horses.
| Gallery: Lipizzaner graveyard at the Bukinac studd >> |
We insist on the enforcement of Veterinary Law. It states that Veterinary Inspection, which receives reports of animal ill treatment, is obliged to take the animals from the owner. Article 117, reads " Animal carcasses and other offal must be destroyed in centres intended for the purpose of destroying carcasses and other offal". This is recorded and records are kept for three years.
Criminal Law, Article 269, Killing and tormenting animals reads:
"Paragraph I - All who break the regulations, injure or torment animals will be fined or sent to prison for a period of up to 6 months.
Paragraph 2 - If as a result of an act from paragraph 1 of this Article there is killing, tormenting or injuring a large number of animals, or an act committed against animals which belong to a protected species, the perpetrator will be fined or sent to prison for up to three years"
Article 271 - Irresponsible veterinary intervention: Veterinarians or authorised veterinary assistants who… act irresponsibly when treating animals resulting in death or any serious harm will be fined or sent to prison for up to two years.
Citizens of Serbia do not wish to be associated with this crime against animals, nor is the press indifferent, it remains only for the Ministry of Agriculture… and the Ministry for the Protection of the Environment to take action in accordance with their responsibility. We call on all organisations involved in the protection of animals and the environment to be prepared for a protest in front of the Serbian and Croatian Embassies wherever they are because both States are allowing the Lipizzaners to starve to death while one man hold them to ransom.
We also ask everybody particularly the societies, Friends of Animals and a Voice for Animals in Croatia, Ljubicevo in Germany and all others who wish to protest, to avoid creating a political situation and the involvement of political parties. An eventual protests should be organised on the basis of evidence provided by organisations for the protection of animals and nature.
All media may freely avail of the photographs
Snezana Milovanovic - president
Society for the protection and rights of animals
Freedom for Animals