Respekt for individet


2005.03.30 Dyrebeskyttelsen:   Kampanje/ svar fra Bulgarske ambassaden vedrørende hundesnurring


 

 

    EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
                                                    OSLO

 

Tidemands gate 10
0244 Oslo
Tel      22 55 40 40
Fax      22 55 40 24
bulgemb@online.no

                                                                                                                  Oslo, March 18, 2005.

 Our Ref. No. 144/2005

 

Re: Dogs’ abuse in the village of Brodilovo, Bulgaria.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I sincerely appreciate reaction, triggered by the recent media publications about the appalling abuse
of dogs in the village of Brodilovo, Bulgaria.

With its 350 inhabitants the village of Brodilovo is indeed a very small one by both Bulgarian
and European standards. The village is situated on the slopes of Strandja Mountains in the Southeastern part
of the country in a very sparsely populated area less than 10 km from the border with Turkey. The area is seldom
visited by outsiders – Bulgarian or foreign. These are the reasons why the abuse of dogs in
Brodilovo was largely unknown to the general public in Bulgaria until very recently.

As the events in the isolated village of Brodilovo cast a shadow on Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people as a
whole, it is very important to stress that the abuse of dogs or any other animal does not represent any kind of
tradition or folklore belief either in the Southeastern region of Bulgaria (the County of Bougras)
or in other regions of the country. This is confirmed by renowned scholars and experts (both Bulgarian and foreign) of Bulgarian folklore traditions.

The Bulgarian public was also deeply disturbed by the media publications, which showed our fellow-countrymen in Brodilovo practicing something so unacceptable, cruel and inherently alien to the spirit of the Bulgarian traditions.

The public outcry produced great pressure on the authorities in Brodilovo and its population. On March 9, 2005, the mayor of the village Mr. Dimitar Dimitrov addressed the public in an official declaration, in which he expressed his’ and his fellow-villagers’ deepest regrets and asked his Bulgarian fellow-countrymen for forgiveness for blemishing the morals of Bulgarian people.
In this declaration the mayor also pledged that 2005 would be the last year when dog’s
spin
was performed in Brodilovo.

I would like to thank the Norwegian animal lovers who, like their Bulgarian
friends, expressed their concern. Your civil consciousness is indeed admirable. I
 am confident that your protest – stronger than any other kind of action, would
 contribute for the ultimate eradication of the appalling dogs’ spin in Brodilovo.

                                 Best regards,

                                                                                 Gancho Ganev, Ambassador