PRISHTINA, KOSOVO – Amidst the 1999 conflict in Kosovo, many displaced citizens abandoned not only their homes but also their pet dogs. The homeless dog population grew with each passing year.
Until recently, the Kosovo government and officials in Prishtina, the capital, addressed the increase in homeless dogs through periodic cullings, or the removal of animals. During two-week periods, the government used to tell residents to walk at their own risk on public streets between midnight and 6 a.m., when officials would shoot any dogs seen roaming the streets.
Some say that stray bullets were a risk to residents as gunshots rang through the streets, killing hundreds of dogs. But others say that there were no reports of injuries to humans, and that attacks by stray dogs present a greater risk.
Thanks to one local animal shelter, located on the outskirts of Prishtina, and a nongovernmental organization called Animal Friends of Kosovo, there has been an increase in education about the importance of spaying and neutering pets as well as in the adoption of stray pets. Public pressure generated by Animal Friends of Kosovo has also ended the government strategy of shooting strays.
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