Strays Are Not Being Poisoned, says Minister

DEPUTY Agriculture Minister Alexandros Kontos on July 21 emphatically denied allegations in the British press that Greece's stray dogs are being exterminated ahead of the Games. Responding angrily to a Daily Telegraph article of July 11 entitled "Greeks to poison up to 15,000 stray dogs before the Olympics", Kontos said: "We categorically deny these evil-minded, malicious and unfounded reports that are aimed at libelling our country in the runup to the Games."

The deputy minister pointed out that new legislation to protect companion and stray animals introduced last year requires municipalities to round up homeless dogs and neuter and vaccinate them before release or adoption. He did not, however, mention how many municipalities have actually implemented this programme, nor how many animals have to date been sterilised under the new law. In addition, he noted that poisoning is a crime under Greek legislation. However, despite being a punishable offence since 1981, when law 1197 for the protection of animals was introduced, no poisoner has yet been fined or imprisoned in Greece. [On July 27, a landmark case will be held to judge a man, identified as George Limakis, who illegally entered a neighbour's house in Paleo Faliro and poisoned the Belgian Shepherd dog within. If he is convicted, it will be the first such sentence in Greece.]