Animal rights are becoming increasingly important in Italy. Two standout examples worth following: Bolzano and Trento.
An example that it would be desirable for other Italian cities to follow. In Trento and Bolzano, two special "offices" dedicated to animals have opened. Let us start with Bolzano which, following Trento's lead, has opened a service devoted specifically to the rights of our four-legged friends. The initiative is born above all as a specific commitment of the municipal administration (which, under article 5 of its statute, "works to protect the quality of life in all its forms") to promote harmonious coexistence between human beings and animals – "companion and wild animals, which are increasingly sharing the urban environment with us," notes the council's press release – protecting the latter, as well as public health and the environment.
In Bolzano, the service has the specific purpose of informing citizens about the various services dedicated to domestic animals available within the municipal area: from practising vets to animal welfare officers, from animal rights associations to environmental organisations, with particular reference to the specific remits of these bodies (mistreatment, adoptions, lost or found stray animals in the area, vaccinations to be carried out). A further particular task of the service will be to collect requests, suggestions, reports and advice submitted by citizens and associations not only on the problem of stray animals, but also on that of wildlife which is, little by little, increasingly becoming an often unwelcome "guest" in the metropolitan areas of our country.
To get in touch with the Bolzano officials, one can contact the Ufficio per la tutela dell'ambiente e del territorio, headed by Dr Renato Spazzini, Monday to Friday.
Several months ago, a "sportello piccoli animali" had also opened in Trento, where people could turn for information, news and advice on everything concerning the four-legged companions that accompany us in our daily lives. The initiative is included in the brand-new agreement established for the management service of the shelter for abandoned dogs in via delle Bettine in the Trentino capital, signed by the municipality of Trento and the local branch of the Lega nazionale per la difesa del cane.
The "sportello piccoli animali" operates at the Trento headquarters of the Lega nazionale per la difesa del cane, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and those responsible for the service can be contacted directly by email.
