A final solution?
The stream of complaints being lodged by citizens and animal welfare groups regarding an alleged systematic campaign to exterminate thousands of stray dogs and cats in the countdown to the Olympic Games shows no signs of abating. According to protesters, a secret operation to curb the number of strays on our streets has been under way since February and is being carried out by a foreign firm using sophisticated methods of mass extermination. Strays are not problematic because they spoil the image of the city – there are many things that make a far worse impression! Indeed, in several central points such as Syntagma Square and the National Gardens, locals and other concerned citizens look after the dozens of strays which roam there. These people, who have been demanding care and protection for the city’s strays for years, have done so because the animals have been suffering – of hunger, thirst, illnesses and violent behavior – not because they have been ruining the image of the capital. But there are other ways of controlling this problem than the final solution represented by extermination, and these methods should be highlighted and implemented by those in authority. As for making our city ugly and irritating, we only have ourselves to blame for that…
