He reacted to the article "Medvjed Ljubo lives in unbearably cruel conditions", published on Friday in the printed edition and on the portal "Vijesti". Miljan Milickovic from the estate "Shelter and recovery of animals Montenegro".
We transmit the reaction in its entirety.
"I am offended by a series of untruths that were stated in the report of an organization that, I am sure, has never set foot on my property, nor seen the housing for the bear with its own eyes, but has only succumbed to the influence of manipulative organizations from Montenegro that have been trying to discredit my activities for years. in nature protection. Citizens who are environmentally unaware, ignorant and do not know the laws of the country they live in have been manipulated in such a perfidious way for years.
The contested accommodation for the brown bear Ljuba was built entirely according to the standards clearly prescribed by the Rulebook on the Closer Conditions of Keeping and Breeding of Protected Wild Animal Species. In addition, several national expert commissions had the opportunity to be convinced of the regularity and quality of the accommodation for the bear, which, following and respecting the Law on Nature Protection, gave positive opinions on the accommodation, after which the EPA issued a permit for keeping it.
If the non-governmental sector and animal lovers think that state laws and regulations are not regulated with quality and according to their wishes, I personally think that they should turn to the competent institutions that deal with amendments and additions to laws and regulations, and not to mercilessly destroy the reputation of a man who with the help of family and friends-volunteers, saved hundreds of animals from certain death and provided them with food, proper accommodation and a home.
In the videos and photos that were published, it is clear that the animal was deliberately disturbed by the cameraman, so that the video recorded the nervousness and aggression of the animal, which in real life is happy, petted, fed and satisfied, which is proven by the video that I am sending you in the attachment.
Harassing, stunning and challenging animals is strictly prohibited by our Rulebook, which is displayed at the very entrance to the park, so the person who did it is also in a legal violation.
In the controversial published text, a large number of disinformation was stated, namely:
It was announced that the bear is kept outside of all guidelines and regulations on keeping and that there is no space to straighten up and walk, and the truth is that it is housed in full accordance with the rules provided by the Law, which was confirmed by expert analyzes of state commissions.
It was announced that we first applied for a permit to keep animals in 2018, and the correct information is that we did it at the beginning of 2017.
It has been announced that the animals are fed rotten and moldy food, and the truth is that the Directorate for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs and their inspection in our country have regular checks on the correctness of the food and its origin.
It was announced that the bear is self-harming with bites, and the truth is that the photo was taken at the moment when the cameraman deliberately stunned it with food, and then put the food away so that the bear would react and show nervousness. The real state and psyche of the bear can be seen on the clip in direct contact with our volunteers.
It was announced that in the Montenegrin Rulebook on the closer conditions of keeping and breeding of protected wild species of animals, the minimum accommodation area for one bear is 300 square meters, while the truth is that a space of 150 square meters is provided for two individuals. That document is public on the Internet and every citizen can have an insight into it.
It has been reported that mammals should not be kept in cages, which is also not true. By law, the bear is provided with an open part of the accommodation of 150 square meters (where it can see the sky and have contact with the sun) and an internal part of the accommodation where it can take shelter from storms. We have all that here, built according to the instructions from the rulebook. Austrian regulations are mentioned in the text, which have nothing to do with the citizens of Montenegro.
I support the amendment of the regulations and personally, as a citizen, I will ask to participate in the public debate, as someone who has lived with animals for many years and knows their needs.
It was announced that the EPA issued a temporary permit for keeping animals, and in fact a permanent permit for keeping wild species of animals was issued, as well as consent for the establishment of a zoo. After the EPA administration was replaced, the new leaders of that institution showed a rather negative attitude towards zoos in public, even though they are completely legal and are defined by the Animal Welfare Act.
It was announced that I do not respect the rules for keeping wild animals, although in the previous six years I had 22 inspections on the property by the competent inspectorates, and absolutely every report clearly shows a positive attitude about the conditions in which they are kept. In addition, 14 expert state commissions passed through my park, which only had words of praise.
To repeat, every accommodation for animals is built according to valid state regulations and our goal is that each of them is increased and built in as humane conditions as possible, which we will strive for in the coming period as much as possible and in accordance with the laws that we impeccably respect.
By April 1, 2023, the bear Ljubo is moving to a reserve of 8.400 square meters, which will also be the largest accommodation in Europe, where only one bear resides.
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Bonus video:
