Protest in Bucharest for animal rights. Participants are calling for mass sterilization and measures against abandonment

More than 2,000 people are taking part on Sunday, October 4, in an animal rights protest organized in Bucharest on World Animal Day. The demonstration began near the Bucharest National Theatre and is set to continue with a march to Victory Square, where protesters will remain in front of the Government offices until around 7:30–8:00 p.m.

The protest is organized by the Together for Animals Federation, together with representatives of more than 70 nongovernmental organizations. Participants have come from several cities across the country, including Iași, Timișoara, Constanța, Satu Mare, Târgu Jiu, Târgu Mureș and Suceava.

Demonstrators are calling for changes in the way stray animals are managed and are requesting concrete measures to reduce abandonment. Their main demands include developing a national sterilization program, including for owned animals, as well as abandoning the current approach to stray dogs.

The organizers say Romania spends millions of euros euthanizing dogs without solving the problem. According to them, more than 200,000 dogs have been euthanized in recent years, while sterilization does not benefit from a sufficiently extensive national program. Protesters are also calling for more effective protection for cats, farm animals and wildlife.

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