The Animal Friends Croatia association has filed a criminal complaint against a livestock farmer whose cow died after wandering unsupervised with her calf for days. The association is also seeking accountability from the veterinary inspection.
The Animal Friends Croatia association filed a criminal complaint on Wednesday with the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Zadar against the owner of a cow and calf. He is accused of animal torture and abandonment, and the association is simultaneously seeking to establish the responsibility of the veterinary inspection for failing to react in a timely manner.
According to information gathered by the association, the cow and calf wandered an open area for nearly a month without any supervision. The animals had no access to water, all while enduring extremely high summer temperatures. The exhausted cow eventually died, and her body was left to decompose for at least a week. The frightened calf remained by its mother's side throughout.
The calf's life was saved by a citizen who brought it water and food. It was only taken into care after days of public and media pressure, the association points out.
The law prescribes a prison sentence of up to one year for abandoning animals. However, given that in this case the complete lack of care and the denial of water directly caused the cow's death, the perpetrator faces a stricter sentence of up to two years in prison.
In the criminal complaint, Animal Friends Croatia demands urgent implementation of all necessary investigations. The Municipal State Attorney's Office is asked to promptly establish the identity of the owner by checking the animals' identification marks and data in the Unique Register of Domestic Animals. The collection of witness statements has also been requested.
The association further insists on obtaining official documentation regarding the actions of the police and relevant inspectorates. It seeks to determine whether an official necropsy was performed on the dead cow to confirm the cause of death, as well as whether a veterinary examination of the surviving calf's health condition was conducted.
Animal Friends Croatia states that this is just one in a series of cases where animal suffering and death could have been prevented if the veterinary inspection had acted in time. They claim the inspection was informed about the abandonment of the cow and calf but did not react. The association calls for the establishment of a more effective animal protection system in Croatia that will prevent such tragedies in the future.
