Montenegrin institutions have never taken care of injured birds, claim individuals and organizations who have been doing it voluntarily for years and, since these days they are once again exposed to the game of passing the ball when it comes to jurisdiction and responsibility, they announce that they will no longer do other people's work.
DR and AZ from Podgorica found an injured little cormorant (dwarf cormorant), a bird whose hunting is prohibited in Montenegro, a few days ago. They sought the help of a veterinarian at the clinic "K9", from where they were directed to a natural person, Bjanka Prakljačić, a girl who has been taking care of injured and sick birds as a volunteer for years.
She explained that there are no conditions to take care of the cormorant in addition to the other birds she is currently taking care of.
The citizens who found the bird offered the veterinarians to pay for its treatment, but in the "K9" clinic of the DR, which has no experience when it comes to caring for birds, they said to take the cormorant home.
The bird was eventually put to sleep.
The veterinary clinic did not respond to "Vijesta"'s call, and the Ministry of Agriculture, within which the Council for the Protection of Animals was formed last year, did not respond to the newsroom about the entire situation.
The Veterinary Chamber, the inspection did not respond to the journalists' questions, and even though they were announced, the answers did not arrive from the Veterinary Administration either.
Prakljačić told "Vijesta" that, due to the nature of the injuries, the bird would definitely have to be euthanized, but that if a jurisdiction system had been established, it would at least have been spared torture and unnecessary driving from one place to another.
She added that the case of the little cormorant is just one of many, and that over the past years, over 500 birds have passed through her apartment.
In less than four years, as long as the non-governmental organization "Nora" was active, which it recently decided to close, it had over 300 birds in recovery.
During that time, Prakljačić received financial support only from Elektroprenos, in the amount of 1.000 euros, occasionally she would also receive a donation from citizens, but the costs of treating the birds, she claims, were three to five times higher than that.
In addition to not having financial support, she notes that she and everyone who helped like her were also exposed to the risk of illness.
"We are juggling bird flu, ornithosis, mycoplasmas... Three life-threatening diseases. The veterinarian puts on a mask and gloves, and we place those birds in our living space... The NGO "Nora" ceases to exist, it is no more, it does not even accept birds. If someone calls me, they will get inspection numbers and advice that vets know what to do... as it should be in the state. If I take a bird, it's my personal matter, invisible to the public, except for my friends, and it's not recovery, but acting like any civilian", said Prakljačić.
During the past years, Bjanka was the first address to which citizens were directed in case they found an injured bird, a bird that fell out of the nest. She also cared about the birds she found herself.
That care took place in a small room and on the terrace of the family apartment, and her only wish, as she told "Vijesti" earlier, was to equip each bird for a successful flight to freedom.
She made the decision to withdraw recently, and the case with the pygmy cormorant is just the "drop in the bucket". She told the authorities that during the past years they had a chance to do something themselves.
"Now they don't interest me anymore. They know what to do, they have money. I was patient for years, they had my time and effort. It didn't work for them...", she said.
The Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP), an organization from which they also say that the problem is complex and that its solution should finally be approached systematically, is of a similar opinion.
"From the beginning of 2017 until today, 160 cases of injured birds or birds that fell out of the nest were reported to CZIP. Of these, 83 cases were resolved with a positive outcome. Since we are not able to take on every individual case, we rely heavily on the conscientiousness of citizens who have helped with their interventions, especially in cases of returning birds to their nests. From that very large number, CZIP, together with Bjanka Prakljačić, took 44 birds for treatment. This includes all those situations where a quick reaction is necessary and when it is not possible to leave it to the citizens to take care of such birds themselves," Jovana Janjušević, the executive director of that NGO, told "Vijesta", adding that it is about severe poisoning, wing injuries in traffic, wounding…
When it is necessary to provide assistance in taking care of raptors, CZIP is assisted by Dejan Krvavac, whom they state "has the greatest knowledge and experience when it comes to these very demanding birds".
"All this is done on a volunteer basis, from their own financial resources, without the support of institutions, which advertise themselves as incompetent, expecting that citizens' associations and individuals do their work and finance their obligations", said Janjušević, adding that since they do not have the conditions , and no authorization, just like "Nora", CZIP stops with further care for wild animals.
"The solution was not only not found, but no one even dealt with this problem, because they understood our support as a free service", they said from CZIP to the authorities.
Look at Slovenia as an example
As an example of how the care of wild animals should work in practice, Janjušević cites the example of Slovenia, where, as she said, any citizen who finds an injured wild animal can hand it over to a nearby veterinary clinic, which provides this type of service at the expense of the state, and not conscientious citizen.
"We had a lot of cases where people did not want to provide first aid because they did not have the money to take the injured bird to the vet and to bear the costs of such an intervention. "Slovenia, which is not only a member of the European Union, but also a country recognized in the EU for the highest ecological standards, has two asylums for the care of wild animals, including birds," Janjušević told "Vijesta".
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