08/07/07 Mass Death of Sheep on Kornati
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Veterinary Inspection
Vladimira Nazora 53
22000 Sibenik
August 7, 2007
SUBJECT: Filing charges against unidentified perpetrators responsible for mass death of sheep on the islands of Kornati
Dear Sirs,
After an article about the grave condition of sheep on the islands of Kornati was published in Jutarnji List (the on-line edition of August 5, 2007), we feel obliged to ask you to investigate this serious situation and launch legal proceeding against those who are responsible for it.
Because of severe draught, all water supplies on the islands have been exhausted, which forced the sheep to drink seawater and die in agony. According to the data published by Jutarnji list, around 1,000 of the 5,000 sheep that inhabit Kornati have already died. We believe that these numbers are a sufficient reason to pronounce the state of elementary disaster and require an urgent intervention by supplying drinking water to these animals in order to stop them from suffering and dying. Any further delay would only aggravate the situation and directly violate the Animal Protection Act, Article 4, Paragraph 2, Item 16, as well as Articles 40 and 42.
We demand that you should urgently launch an investigation on the basis of the aforementioned articles from the Animal Protection Act and to start a legal proceeding against those who have made themselves culpable (the sheep owners) by causing the death of so many sheep because of negligence.
We would greatly appreciate if you informed us as soon as possible about the outcome of your actions.
Yours truly,
Luka Oman
President of Animal Friends