As the very first initiative for the protection of animals in Hungary after the fall of the Iron Curtain, our foundation has set the goal of saving homeless, abandoned and wounded ani-mals and of assisting distressed animals since the year of its establishment (1990). Thanks to the devoted work of its founders and the Advisory Board, the foundation took a leading role in educating the public to take care of animals lovingly and to keep animals in an appropriate way during this “pioneering age”. For many years, we bought dogs into our preliminary shel-ters, from where they would be adopted by devoted owners, monitoring their well-being and quality of life and strengthening ties between humans and animals.
Our priorities in the field of animal protection:
• Implementing preventive solutions by informing, educating and appropriately communicating society, addressing all age groups
• Making municipality decrees on the keeping of animals more practicable
• Enhancing pet animal owners’ compliance with applicable regulations (e.g. regarding dog waste and ensuring ideal keeping conditions)
• Filling up the notion of “appropriate care exercised by a good owner” with content
• Establishing the professional foundations of animal protection training in Hungary
• Raising awareness among policy makers and law enforcement agencies of the fact that animal cruelty and domestic violence are closely interrelated
• Establishing a network for free legal protection spanning across all regions of Hungary
• Raising public awareness of the fact that the protection of animals means the protection of humans at the same time
• Transforming the keeping of animals from a right to a merit on the level of public per-ception
• Improving the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, affecting vast numbers of farm animals
• Amending the Penal Code on the basis of the National Programme for the Protection of Animals (NPPA)
Our projects to date include:
• Promoting enforcement of Hungary’s Animal Protection Law
• Educating elementary school children about responsible pet ownership
• Advocating spaying/neutering as a healthy, humane, effective way to lower the stray pet population
• The Legal Advice Service has been set up with the aim of informing the public about how to use the Animal Protection Law to prevent cruelty to animals. Established 10 years ago, it has been the first and only project of its kind in Hungary.
• The White Cross Animal Protection Society, with the support of our Hungarian and international partner organisations, has set up a Civil Ombudsman’s Office to serve as advocate and arbitrator of animal protection issues.
• With the goal of helping both those who design and those who implement animal protection legislation, we have conceptualised a project with the acronym NPPA, which stands for “National Programme for the Protection of Animals”. The programme’s objective is to develop and help enforce the 1998 Animal Protection Law. Its most significant points include regulations related to the protection of farm animals.
