1 cat vs. 100.000 stray dogs, a photo from Bucuresti, East

Photographer's Note

ONE stray cat vs. 100.000 stray dogs in Bucharest… Guess it’s life span won’t be too long. We met the single stray cat at an outdoor folk’s museum in the middle of the city. Surprisingly a place where none of the numerous stray dogs of Buchrest was to see. As a ‘cat man’ I rather use this little cat to comment on the unusual situation of meeting stray dogs absolute everywhere, not only in the city but also in the countryside. And many Romanians seem to like those dogs, treating them like some bypassing squirrels feeding them and patting them.

A city with 100.000 stray dogs
BUCHAREST — A stray dog killed a Japanese man in Romania's capital Bucharest in 2006 when it bit into a vital artery in his leg.
"The dog cut an important vein in the man's left leg. He crawled maybe 30 metres (yards) and only managed to tell a guard 'dog and ambulance' before he died," police spokesman Christian Ciocan said.
As many as 100,000 stray dogs are thought to live on the streets of Bucharest, a feral reminder of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's orders to bulldoze hundreds of houses in the capital during the 1980s to make way for grandiose buildings.
Although a 1989 revolution toppled Ceausescu's regime, efforts to get rid of the dogs have become a highly publicised problem.
"When we tried to solve the stray dogs problem in the past, we were held back by sensitive people who love animals. Now, look what happens," Bucharest deputy mayor Razvan Murgeanu told private TV station Realitatea.
International animal rights activists, including former French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, have repeatedly stymied plans to dispose of the dogs by criticising government efforts to cull them in public forums as animal cruelty.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9780

..BUT it is also reported that in periods where they reduce the number of stray dogs, there is an increase i.e also of stray cats…

Iuli, isabela_sor, kiwi_explorer, jhm, bibiweb, Emile, JRushen has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

teutza (10590) 2007-10-03 5:55 [Comment]

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flory (4848) 2007-10-03 7:20

hi Jack,
hm,know this cat.is from our meeting,in village museum..i stay with her a little,because she(he)needs me.they always love me;)and me them;)simple,like 'Good afternoon!'
it is a problem,indeed,with dogs.and like Teo said that japonese man was unlucky and i'm sorry for him,really..the real problem in my opinion is that we don't have yet a law for protection of animals.
hope you are fine and this cat makes me pleasure to see it again;)
Flory

isabela_sor (47748) 2007-10-03 9:44

What to say more?I agree 100% with TEO,I am a dog lover and I wonder if only in Romania you have met this situation,because I have seen it in Bulgaria and Greece too!This about your note
About pic and your picture,first I didn't know that you love cats :)really:)
This little one is sweet... and your low POV reminds me some old pics in Teo's gallery (a cat in Greece :):):) and a dog in Romania )
Hugs

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2007-10-03 12:15

Hi Jack,
Interesting situation ... here in NZ it is the other way ... more stray cats than dogs because dog registration is compulsory and cats are exempted. As a consequence it is now causing problems with the birdlife which in turn upsets bird lovers. If only we have responsible pet owners, we won't have problem with this dog/cat problems. Very good to highlight this problem ... I'm sure other countries must be having this kind of problems. Well captured and presented. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

Gustaw (21670) 2007-10-03 13:51

Hi, my friend!
It is very good and very oryginal photo. I very like your strong colours. Nice composition. Beautiful cat and flowers.
Marek

PixelTerror (0) 2007-10-04 1:23

Hei Jack,
A rather controversial picture as it seems, well as for me I'll gladly side with the ladies, Dogz Rulez ;-)
That being said your city tiger is quite interesting, good frozen attitude and a low PoV that helps it stand in a more impressive way, I like this !
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

jhm (191543) 2007-10-04 4:07

Hi Jack,

I like cats, certainly these young cat without experience, what a lovely head and nice eyes.
Also the colours and composition is very well.
Very well done Jack. Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice day,
John.

anes_lc (14968) 2007-10-04 6:04

hi jack
i was surprise by your note on this lovely picture that i remember so well how you did it :)
the dogs are not a problem for our country,you made the worse example of what a dog can do ...
you don´t know romania ..you can say you know only from few days spent there.you come from different world maybe ...but this doesn´t mean ours is a bad one.we fight every day for a better future and romanian people has good heart so don´t blame them that they love animals :)
i love also and ...i must tell you that many times i felt protected by this dogs :)
there is still a problem and this is about the law,i don´t think the problem must be solved by killing them..just imagine 100.000 dogs killed...next i will hear ..food for everybody :))
really don´t get offended ...but better keep this sweet cat and make a nice note about how we can pet them with if you want :)
and you know ..i did learn how easy i can have a low POV ;)
great shot ,the cat see was staring at you :),well focused
best regards,anes

guillaumejm (0) 2007-10-04 12:55

Hello jack
better to meet this lovely cat!. Perfect colours and framing.
Funny I went in bucharest years ago and did'nt notice this stray dog large population!.
Best regards
JMarc

bibiweb (8) 2007-10-12 10:44

Hi Jack,
It looks like cats need a bit of support here... so here I am! ;o)
I won't comment on the stray dogs situation in Romania as I haven't been there myself and don't know if it's really worse than in other countries I've visited. But as a cat lover I can't pass this photo without leaving a comment on this cute kitten. YOu had a lovely light and I also like the way the cat seems about to move towards you.
Have a nice weekend.
Brigitte

bazal (7900) 2007-10-13 10:21

Hi Jack.
Fantastic realisation, sincerely (I don't need any point back!).
;o)
I really like the way you framed the cat and its behaviour. It seems really curious to know what you're doing...
The technical aspects are (at least for my limited knowledge) impressive and I like the way you have put this contribution within TE's TOS limits.

Thanks for sharing!

Emile (20352) 2007-10-14 21:57

Hola Jack.
For the purpose of your note your shot give us some interesting questions, we have laws that prevent the killing of animals like dogs or cats, but if the animal is on the street and it doesn't have any owner we call the animal protection office and they come and take them away. Good note.
Best regards.

marietom (34611) 2007-10-28 5:50

Hi Jack,

Superbe petit chat à l'affût, dans de très belles couleurs. Bien vu.
Marie