Montenegrin municipalities will have three months to build shelters for abandoned and stray animals, or sign contracts for their care with other municipalities, companies or citizens - otherwise they will pay fines. Municipalities will catch the animals and notify the state, while owners will have to take them from shelters and pay a fine, the cost of catching and housing them.
This is stated in the information on the necessity of solving the problem of stray cattle in several Montenegrin municipalities.
Stray cattle are, as it is written, a problem in Podgorica, Cetinje, Budva, Herceg Novi, Ulcinj, Bijelo Polje and Berane, while the situation is alarming in Tivat, because they are animals without owners. It is emphasized that some of the animals have owners while others are left to their own devices, but that they certainly pose a threat to human health, traffic safety, destroy infrastructure and damage citizens' property.
It is stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration have repeatedly warned and sent letters to municipalities to build shelters for animals, but that in Montenegro, only Ulcinj currently has such a space.
"Local governments are obliged to build a shelter for abandoned production animals within 90 days or conclude a contract for the provision of services for the reception and care of these animals with another local government, legal entity or natural person, who will treat them with the care of a good host; conclude a contract for the organization of the capture and transport of animals or implement it within their services; prescribe the amount of compensation for the takeover of the animal by the owner and impose sanctions on the owner in accordance with local regulations," the information states, emphasizing that these obligations are imposed on the basis of the Law on Veterinary Medicine, Livestock Breeding, Protection of Animal Welfare and local decisions on communal order.
The police will also catch cows
In the event that an animal does not have an owner or does not appear, municipalities will have seven days after determining its health condition to decide whether to sell or give it away. They are also obliged to remove animal carcasses if they die or in the case of euthanasia according to the decision of the veterinary inspector.
It is planned that animal owners will receive a notification, after which they will have three days to claim the animal, but will have to pay the costs of capture, transport and accommodation.
"The Police Administration and the Municipal Police are responsible for providing assistance in capturing animals that threaten public order and traffic safety; they cooperate with the veterinary inspection and shelters. The State Property Administration is responsible for carrying out procedures for transferring or granting land and facilities for use in accordance with the Law on Property and Legal Relations and, as a priority and without delay, resolving property and legal relations related to shelter locations," the document states.
Animals captured in Tivat and Budva in previous years were, as stated, housed on the farm of the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS), from where they were forwarded to slaughterhouses or for use by UIKS. It is added that the Municipality of Budva did not pay its obligations, so their debt to UIKS accumulated, and at this place, due to the Municipality's inaction - there is no longer room to house new animals.
According to information, Budva purchased a special vehicle for the transport of these animals in 2023, which could be ceded to municipal units under certain conditions and for a fee, but it is proposed that multiple institutions be committed to permanently solving the problem. It is emphasized that the Municipality of Tivat has paid all its obligations to UIKS, but that the problem in that city continues due to the reproduction of animals in nature.
Without shelter, punishments come
It is planned that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food Safety Administration and the Veterinary Inspection will supervise municipalities, i.e. the provision of shelters for abandoned and lost animals, and will impose penalties if this does not happen. After the municipalities have drawn up the shelters, these three institutions will have seven days to appoint a commission that will go out into the field and check the conditions for housing the animals and request the elimination of irregularities, if any.
After capturing the animals, the veterinary inspector will go out into the field and determine whether there were any violations of the Animal Welfare Act during the process and transport, and will also issue an order to veterinary clinics to examine the animals and forward the samples to the Specialist Veterinary Laboratory to check their health.
"They are obliged to provide information about the owner to the local self-government in the event that the owner's animals have an identification ear tag, as well as to inform the competent services of the Ministry about the same; to have the veterinary inspector implement administrative measures and actions against the irresponsible owner; to report to the Government of Montenegro on the implementation of the measures; to engage experts from the region if necessary; to have the Directorate for Forestry and Hunting of the Ministry and the Administration provide local self-governments with the equipment available in their possession in order to facilitate the capture of animals (stunning equipment, etc.)," the document states.
Veterinary inspectors will have to visit these shelters to check the status of the animals.
The problem continues despite actions
The problem of stray cattle in Montenegro has been around for many years and occurs on the coast, in the central part and in the south, and locals are most often bothered by cattle that enter the main road and endanger traffic, invade yards and properties of locals and cause damage.
According to an earlier article in "Vijesti", almost three years ago, the Municipality of Tivat carried out several actions to capture semi-wild cattle roaming the slopes of Vrmac, the area of Gradiošnica and the former "Montepranzo" agricultural estate in Mrčevac.
In these operations, almost 40 heads of cattle were captured in the area of Mrčevac and Gradiošnica. Almost two years ago, the municipality took the captured cattle, which no citizen had reported as their property, to the UIKS farm in Spuž for veterinary quarantine, and eventually gave them to them - because their stay cost the Tivat city treasury 116 euros per day.
Similar operations have been recorded in recent years in Budva and Ulcinj, and dozens of cattle have been caught.
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