Burying animals is illegal in serbia

In Belgrade, as in the rest of Serbia, there is no legal way to bury a pet, because there is no cemetery for them. The law also prohibits burying an animal's remains on public land or disposing of the body in any similar way. Anyone wishing to dispose of a dead animal must contact the public utility company Zoohigijena i veterina, which for a fee transports the animal's body to the nearest rendering plant, where the animal is incinerated. There are three rendering plants in Serbia: in Sombor, Ćuprija and Inđija. For precisely this reason, pet owners often decide to bury their pet in a park, outside town or on private land, which is illegal.

Jelena Markovic from Belgrade "My friend died today. I had him for 17 years; I took him in from the street as a puppy. Towards the end of his life he developed serious health problems, so it was clear he would not live much longer. The problem arose when I tried to find a place where I could bury him, a place I could go to and visit him." I think those who have pets understand what I wanted to say. Almost 20 years ago, on the initiative of Snežana Voštinarov, a project was drawn up to build a pet cemetery in New Belgrade. I do not know what happened!? You know, time passes, governments change, and to this day pet owners resort to alternative ways of burying their departed pets. Where did it "get stuck"? In 2003 a decision was made to draw up a detailed regulation plan, which was completed in March 2005, when it was also adopted. What happened at that point to halt the project? No one has an answer to that question. We all know that far more expensive projects have been carried out in the city, so the money will be found somehow; what is missing is purely political will! A pet cemetery is of vital importance for a city as big as Belgrade. I do NOT WANT to send my pet, my friend, to Veterina Beograd, from where the pet's body is taken to Ovča and then to Sombor, Inđija or Ćuprija for mass incineration, and to pay 5,100 dinars for it on top. I DO NOT WANT TO! At the veterinary clinic they told me I could leave the body at the clinic, and from various people I heard that they are thrown on the landfill. You will agree with me that hardly anyone wants to say goodbye in this way to a pet that was a member of the family for years, only to receive nothing but a bill for having paid for the service. And did you know that everything other than incineration, that is, handing the pet's body over to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine or Veterina Beograd, is illegal? In my opinion this is a violation of human rights. The state forces you to do what you do not want to do, and the death of a pet is an emotional and painful event. Owners are given no chance to choose, and that is the most terrible thing! Besides being inhumane, the lack of a cemetery is also risky, because sometimes owners, in their grief, bury their pets improperly, and that potentially poses a risk to public health. You know, today a member of my family died, not a dog, not an animal! A TRUE FRIEND. He grew up with my children and they with him. He is our HERO, all of Belgrade knew him. And finally, Mr President: a pet cemetery is not just the solution to a big problem for the city, it is also about the dignity of an animal that was part of a family, and about the dignity of the owner! In that shared life, unbreakable bonds and powerful emotions are formed.

Author: Jelena Ćirić