An update from our Ambassador in Montenegro
Svetlana Manojlovic is our World Animal Day Ambassador in Montenegro.
She is the founder of the first animal protection society in Montenegro, Society for the Protection of Animals Podgorica, which was a member of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
Svetlana has remained active during the Covid-19 pandemic and sent us the following update.
“On February 12, 2021, we had a conference in the capital Podgorica on the topic “Protection of animal welfare and responsible ownership”.
Our target group was representatives of municipalities and cities and utilities and companies.
Out of 24 municipalities, 14 came to us, which is an incredible success in this very complex situation (although we have included 22 municipalities in Montenegro with this project).
We included 6 NGOs from Montenegro in the project.
Lecturers at the conference were:
- Ivan Kurajov is the main lecturer from the non-governmental organization Ljubimci – Pancevo from Serbia.
- Svetlana Manojlovic, NGO Society for the Protection of Animals-Podgorica, Montenegro.
- Miloš Đuričić from the organization BETA from Belgrade-Serbia.
- Tatjana Zajec, DVM from Zagreb – Croatia.
Watch our guest appearance on the national public service, RTVCG1.
We produced pamphlets on topics suggested by the NGOs. Themes were created based on the problems identified in their cities.
As a team, we launched a campaign that covered the entire country:
- promoting responsible ownership
- microchipping
- vaccination
- sterilisation
- Catch-Neuter-Release (CNR)
- Compliance with legal regulations etc.
This project was funded by UBHVFP (Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Montenegro.”
As you can see, Svetlana, her team and advocates from the animal welfare world have been working hard for animals during a challenging time. She says, “We have done a lot. We are satisfied, but this is work in the long run – a marathon”.
In 2020, a video was made by Svetlana and her colleagues.
In the absence of genuine information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, many pet owners are fearful for their health and the lives of their families. They are more likely to abandon their pets. This gesture, in addition to causing great suffering for these animals, creates a problem for local communities by increasing the number of dogs on the streets.
The has been posted on the official website of the Government of Montenegro. It is supported by UBHVFP (veterinary directorate) and has been published in all media and aired on the state television network RTV CG1.
(If you work in animal welfare, find out more about becoming a voluntary World Animal Day Ambassador in your country!)