Bulgarian Government Agency Kills 100 Birds, Including One from a Protected Species

SOFIA, BULGARIA -

Recently, the border guards at Dunav Most, Bulgaria, confiscated a large illegal shipment of animals. The creatures were then transported to the quarantine zone of the Sofia Zoo. Some of them were from rare species, one of which was protected. Problems began to arise. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency caused a controversy after its employees killed more than 100 of the confiscated birds at Sofia’s Zoo. According to them, the animals were sick and had to be put down.

A necessary step or needless cruelty?

The action was taken out of fear that the animals were indeed infected with Avian influenza (bird flu.) A representative from the Bulgarian NGO “Four Paws” said: “This is the only comment that can be made regarding their [BFSA’s] actions. Several normative acts of Bulgarian law were broken.”

Continued