Halkidiki Poisoning of AGAPI - New Years Eve
Over Christmas there were many horrifying events that transpired that we are all hearing about now that people at back at work and on the internet.
1. The Story of Agapi, (www.facebook.com/search/?q=agapi+dog&init=quick#/photo.php?pid=2935718&id=545039069)beloved dog of animal welfare activist Julie Tsiakmakis and her family, poisoned on New Years Eve. Following is a message from Vesna Jones of GAR. It would be most effective if you wrote a summary of her letter to the addresses listed in GREEK and faxed (rather than emailed) so that there is a hard copy in the language of the government waiting for them in the morning.
AGAPI - POISONING REWARD 3000e
From: VESNA JONES
Please write to the Mayor of Kalandra (an area of Halkidiki, northern Greece), Mr Aristidis Kanelis: otakas1@otenet.gr and demand (politely) that the sale of lethal pesticides and other poisons is banned or at the very least strictly controlled and certainly not made easy to purchase by the general public. The death of dear AGAPI - a beautiful and much loved dog - on New Year’s eve, close to the school in the village of Kalandra, has deeply upset everybody who knew and loved her…… My letter to Mr Kanelis:
POISONED DOG IN KALANDRA (village in Halkidiki)
Email and/or fax the Mayor of Kalandra,
Mr Aristidis Kanelis
email address: otakas1@otenet.gr
FAX: +30 23740 23902
Dear Mr Kanelis,
As you will have heard by now, a dog was poisoned in the small village of Kalandra on New Year’s eve, just outside the local school, while children were singing Christmas carols outside people’s houses. The dog in question was Agapi, a much loved pet of Julie Tsiakmakis and her family, who are devastated by her death. Having met the beautiful dog myself while visiting the family last summer, I was very upset to hear the tragic news. Why would anybody want to poison any animal is beyond my comprehension, but I also wonder how can it be possible for just any person to get hold of poisonous substances so easily in Greece!!
Sadly poisoning of stray (and owned!) animals is widespread throughout Greece and the poisons used are very often farm pesticides like Lannate, which cause agonising death. I think it’s high time for the Greek authorities all over Greece to take responsible action and inspect on a regular basis farm supply stores, garden centres and similar businesses to check that they are not breaking the laws relating to the sale of dangerous and/or banned chemicals. I have seen rat poison and toxic chemicals on sale in a pet shop near Athens and I could have purchased any amount, no questions asked. It is truly a miracle that there have not (yet!) been any cases of young children being ‘accidentally’ poisoned …. is that what it would take to make people aware of how lethal these chemicals are?
Mr Kanelis, as you are aware, thanks to Julie’s efforts (getting dogs and cats sterilised and rehoming as many as possible), there are no strays in Kalandra and many fewer in other areas of Kassandria than there used to be in the past. This is good news both for the Greek residents (including their Mayors!) and the visiting tourists, many of whom get upset by the sights of hungry and sick strays, a common sight in most Greek cities, villages and holiday resorts. The work of animal welfare volunteers like Julie should be commended and supported. I hope that you will publicly condemn the callousness of the person responsible for Agapi’s death and do your utmost to identify and prosecute them for the vile crime they had committed. That person brought shame on the village and all its inhabitants.
Yours respectfully,
Vesna Jones (Founder and President of GAR)
