Dubrovnik's newly elected Mayor gets to work on one of the city's most pressing issues, animal welfare.
For many years, Sandra Sambrailo and her team of selfless volunteers have worked tirelessly to try to provide care, shelter, food and water to the stray, abandoned and even wild animals of Dubrovnik. A makeshift ''shelter'' (Zarkovica) located high atop a rugged and unforgiving mountain, housing 300+ dogs who have been carelessly cast aside by fellow ''human beings'' is all the city, as rich as it is, wants to do for those inhabitants who have no voices of their own.
Sandra and her team rely on donations, good will and human decency to keep the shelter (which is often direly threatened by bad weather in the winter time) going. Whether it is 40+ degrees in the height of summer, below freezing in the winter, come jugo, bura, rain or shine - Sandra is there. The animals she takes in are either rehomed or spend the remainder of their days with Sandra, no healthy animal or animal with treatable problems is ever euthanised.
Andro Vlahusic did absolutely nothing to even pretend to show an ounce of decency or care for the unwanted and uncared for animals of the Pearl of the Adriatic, preferring to shove them somewhere on the top of a remote mountain than actually address the issue and pump some of the billions of kunas the city takes in into the medical care, control and accommodation for these poor creatures who have done nothing wrong other than be born into a careless environment. Out of sight, out of mind. A city of culture, indeed.
Thankfully, just a few days into his job, Dubrovnik's brand new Mayor has already gone to work on delivering his promise of a proper system of care for the silent victims of human cruelty and neglect. Yesterday, the charismatic young Frankovic met with Brian Davies, the founder of the Network for Animals, and his team of animal lovers to discuss the situation in Dubrovnik, a dire and often mallicious situation which has seen animals of all kinds, particularly cats and dogs, be treated as if they were no better than literal garbage.
Frankovic plans to build a shelter in the city for the animals and explained his aim to the London based association of animal lovers. Following the development of the necessary permits and documentation, construction will begin and unlike the current shelter at Zarkovica, it will be properly equipped with all the necessary appliances to make sure the animals, whether on a short or a permanent stay, have the absolute best possible care.
Frankovic's humane decision was readily praised by Brian Davies and his team, congratulating Frankovic on delivering on his promise and being elected in the local elections which took place recently.
It is worthwhile remembering that a person, and in this case, a place, can only be properly judged on the way they treat those who can do nothing for them. Dubrovnik is portrayed as a city of culture, a unique bastion of everything enviable, a producer of great minds, of talent, of humanity and of incredible stories. But is it? While Stradun is beautiful, the starving, infected and parasite ridden cat who wanders aimlessly in the heat looking around desperately for help and begging anyone for some food or water isn't quite as sightly, that is, until some ''kind soul'' brutally poisons him and puts him out of his misery, none of which was caused by him.
Dubrovnik has a lot to be proud of, but perhaps even more to be ashamed of. Frankovic's swift actions call for praise of the deepest kind, from anyone with even half a heart.
