The shelter is open for visits, the reason for the death of the animals is unknown

The veterinary and ecological inspection have not yet submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the surveillance report in the case of the death of 14 animals, six of which were wild, on the farm. Miljan Milickovic, in the village of Blizna, near Podgorica.

Apart from the fact that the reason for the death of one of the animals, a camel, was not poisoning or an infectious disease, which they learned from the media, the Agency does not yet know why the other animals died. In the Agency, as they told "Vijesti", because of this, they do not know whether there was or is a possibility that other animals and/or visitors are also endangered, or whether the shelter is open for visits.

"We will find out about the danger and safety of other animals, and whether the shelter is open for visits, when we are officially notified by the authorities responsible for dealing with this case", told "Vijesti" from the Agency.

They also added that Milicković's temporary permit for the zoo expired on December 31, 2021, and that in the meantime they had not given a new consent on the basis of which that registration would be extended.

Fourteen animals, including an Asian two-humped camel, an Australian emu, and an African ostrich, died in the shelter, and Miličković learned about it from the competent authorities - the Agency and the Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs (UBHVFP) only after almost a month. Of the 14 dead animals, six are wild animals whose keeping is reported to the EPA.

Milicković recently announced that all the animals died within 12 hours.

"Unfortunately, at the end of 2022, my family, friends, volunteers and I will forever remember the suffering of a large number of animals in a total time span of 12 hours. I reported the case to the Police Directorate due to suspicion of poisoning for several reasons, which I stated in the official records of the police, inspections... We will find out the exact reason for this animal suffering in a short time interval with the obtained results of toxicological laboratory analyzes performed on the basis of blood samples and parts of organs taken from first-life animals," he said in a response published on January 20.

In relation to these allegations, Milicković was asked questions on the same day, but he did not respond to the inquiry of "Vijesti", among other things, about how many animals died at the moment when, as he stated, he informed the police and the prosecutor about the events on the estate, that whether he requested an analysis and determination of the cause of death for all or only for certain animals. "Vijesti" also asked him whether the animals showed signs of weakness before they died, anything that would indicate what would happen, and whether he himself could assume the causes of death, considering that the prosecutor, as they from the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica replied to the newsroom, it excludes poisoning and infectious disease - true, only for one animal, a camel.

Given that the cause of death of the other animals is not yet officially known, he was also asked whether the safety of other animals on the property is at risk, and whether the shelter is open for visits. Miličković was also asked whether and with which veterinary clinic he has a contract, and what is the nature of that contract.

The Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) Podgorica, as they previously told the editorial office, was informed about the death of the camel on December 11, after which the case was formed. As they said, the prosecutor on duty was then informed "that in the Animal Protection Organization 'Shelter and Recovery of Animals of Montenegro', in the village of Blizna, owned by MM, one animal died - a two-humped camel, about 12 years old". They also said that, on the order of the state prosecutor, an investigation was carried out in the presence of police officers and veterinary experts the same evening, and that an autopsy was carried out the next day. In response to a subsequent question about the death of other animals, the Podgorica Prosecutor's Office said that in the meantime the status of the case regarding the events on the Milicković estate had not changed. The questions were sent to the ODT again after the statement of Milicković that all the animals died within 12 hours was published in "Vijesti". The Podgorica Prosecutor's Office did not respond to the newsroom's inquiry from that January 20, when, among other things, they were asked whether they had been informed in any way at all about the death of the other animals.

After Milicković's statement from January 20, new questions were also sent to the Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs, but they did not respond to the newsroom either.

After Milickovic's statement that 14 animals died within 12 hours, the only answers were sent from the EPA.

"To date, the Agency has not been provided with the inspection reports of the Ecological and Veterinary Inspection, as the competent authority in this case. "We learned about the cause of death of the animals through the media," they told "Vijesti".

When asked if they knew how many animals had died at the time when, as Milicković claims, he informed the police and the prosecutor about the events on the property, they repeated their earlier statements that, just like the Veterinary Administration, they were informed about everything only a month ago later.

"Until now, the only official document at the Agency has arrived from Miljan Milicković (no. 03-D-46/1 dated 11 January 01), in which he informs us about the death of 2023 animals, among which six are the subject of our permit for keeping wild animals. animals in captivity (No. 14-UPI-02/633 of 9 March 9). Also, the same number of dead animals was confirmed by letter (No. 3/2020/003-312/23/121 dated 36 January 4), which the Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs addressed to the Agency. After learning about the death of the animals, the Agency sent official letters for inspection to both the Environmental and Veterinary Inspections. Until today, the Agency has not been provided with the records of the performed inspection supervision", they told "Vijesti".

Milicković, as they said, did not inform the Agency in that notification about the exact date of death of the animals, in order for the Agency to initiate activities under their jurisdiction.

"In that notification, Miljan Miličković stated that blood samples and parts of organs were taken, but he did not specify whether the organs were taken from one or more animals. In the letter we received from the UBHVFP, it is stated that samples were taken only from the first dead animal - a camel. The death of the camel, as the first in a series, was immediately reported to the police and the case was initiated in the Prosecutor's Office. After the police came out and hired a veterinary forensic expert, an autopsy was ordered. "According to the information obtained from the competent veterinarian who performed the autopsy of the dead camel, the suspicion of an infectious disease is ruled out and the suspicion of poisoning is dismissed," the EPA said.

Since the Agency has not been provided with inspection reports in the meantime and the EPA was informed about the allegations about the cause of the death of the animals through the media, as they said, they have no information about whether the animals showed any signs before their death that would indicate what would happen. .

The Agency could not answer the question about the possible endangerment of other animals, as well as whether the shelter is open for visits, given that it is only known that the camel was not poisoned and did not suffer from any infectious disease, and that the cause of death of the others animal is not yet known.

"We will find out about the danger and safety of other animals, and whether the shelter is open for visits, when we are officially notified by the authorities responsible for dealing with this case," said the EPA.

On the Facebook page "Shelter and recovery of animals Montenegro" in several posts after the New Year, with the time allowed for visits, the estate welcomed visitors...

Among the dead animals on the Milicković estate are a male Asian two-humped camel, two martens, an Australian emu, an African ostrich and a Eurasian badger. Among the dead animals are two German spitz dogs, one Yorkshire terrier, two Vietnamese pigs, a ram, an African pygmy goat and a Shetland pony.

EPA: Temporary permit for the zoo expired in 2021.

The Agency previously questioned the temporary permit that was issued to Milicković for the zoo and then said that, if it was issued, the Law on Nature Protection was violated, and that "the official and the issuing body committed a serious legal violation". Then they said that they would inform the inspectors about it. In their response to "News", they have now stated that there is a consent given by the EPA in April 2019, that this document authorizes the keeping of certain wild species of animals in zoos, and that after this consent was given, Milicković was issued a temporary zoo registration. garden

"Which was valid until December 31, 2021. Considering that the registration of the ZOO was not extended after the deadline of December 31, 12, the consent issued by the Agency for the purposes of ZOO registration no longer has any legal effect," the EPA said.