December 8, 2021 – When there's an animal emergency in Zagreb, Azil Dumovec are the first to respond. TCN visits the city animal shelter to find out what they do.

Zagreb bus driver Dario Buzjak was making his final run from Velika Gorica back to the city terminal when he noticed something unusual lying in the road. Saturday night had already turned to Sunday morning on this late November evening. Yet, despite the lateness of the hour, the cold and bad weather, Dario postponed clocking off to stop and take a closer look.

As he got nearer, Dario could tell the owl was injured. So, to make sure she wouldn't be run over by another driver, he carefully picked her up. After placing her in the footwell of his bus, he started back on his journey to the station.

But, what to do next? Just who does a Zagreb bus driver contact when he finds an injured owl in the road?

Luckily, Dario Buzjak knew exactly what to do. He called Azil Dumovec.

“Dario knew about us because he adopted one of our dogs a few years ago,” says Tatjana Zajec, manager of Azil Dumovec. Based on the eastern outskirts of Zagreb, it is Croatia's first and largest municipality-owned animal shelter. “After he made sure it was safe inside the bus, he called us immediately. We took the call here and sent out one of our animal welfare responders.”

If there's an emergency involving an animal in Zagreb, Azil Dumovec is the first point of call. In fact, if someone phones 112 (the general emergency line) about an animal, the operator will make an assessment and, if warranted, transfer the caller to Azil Dumovec.

“On average, we take around 60 calls per day,” says Tatjana, as she shows Total Croatia News around their operations in Dumovec. Cats wander freely around the shelter's offices. Outside, a long line of excited dogs - temporary visitors waiting to be adopted. “Around 10 of those calls will be about wildlife. The others will be about domesticated animals and could come from members of the public, neighbours, the police or social services.”

“They're not always calling about dogs and cats. We are asked to come to collect pigs, ducks, geese and chickens, even though you're not really supposed to be keeping such animals when you live within city limits. Also sheep. In fact, we had one sheep just last week. She was tied to a tree in a city park. The police called us. But, by the time we got there a guy had arrived from the local pub and claimed it as his sheep. He'd tied it up in the park while he went for a drink.”

When Azil Dumovec are contacted about an animal emergency, their phone operators must decide what to do. If the call is about a regular domesticated house pet, like a dog or a cat, the animal is brought to the centre in Dumovec, checked by their vets and given a temporary home until a new one is found. If the call is about a more exotic or wild animal, Azil Dumovec will despatch a responder to collect it and take it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation section of Zagreb Zoo. The other option is to transfer the animal to AWAP (Association for Wild Animals Protection), a charity rescue centre for confiscated and injured protected animals.

“We deal with bats, badgers, beavers, deer, snakes, you name it,” says Tatjana. “Occasionally we even see some venomous snakes like poskok (Horned viper - Vipera ammodytes). Usually, they live in the area of Medvednica. But, several times we've been called to remove them from Zagreb houses. They crawl into basements and sometimes cars to escape from bad weather.”

“A lot of the calls we get are because wild animals share parts of the city with people,” she says. “And, many of the people who live here just don't understand it. They don't know what to do. For instance, they might have a bird or a bat that makes a home for itself on their balcony. Or they might be startled by the sight of a family of foxes living on the embankment. We know one deer who likes to come to an area near Cibona Tower, very close to the city centre. He comes every year. I think it's maybe a student accommodation place. We always have so many calls about him.”

Sandrino, Tatjana's co-worker shakes his head. A veteran worker at the shelter, Sandrino used to work outside with the animals. Now, he answers the phone in the call centre.

“This is cleaner,” he tells TCN of his new position. “But, honestly, it's better to work outside with the dogs.”

Why?

“Different kinds of people call you,” he says. His emphasis is on the word 'different'. He's being polite.

“Well, it's a big town,” he adds, with a shrug and a smile. “One guy found an injured pigeon. We had to send it to AWAP. He asked “Can I come to visit him?”, like it is some kind of hospital with visiting times.” Sandrino laughs.

Another owl referral to Azil Dumovec. This one, collected on 3 December, was found near Koprivnica

Tatjana herself has also seen her role change significantly during her time here. Originally, she graduated as a veterinary doctor. But, since joining Azil Dumovec, she's become shelter manager and helped them shape Croatian law and embrace the social media revolution.

“Actually, we took some inspiration from the UK,” she recalls. “After graduation, I contacted the RSPCA and the Dog's Trust to learn how they did things. Thereafter we became a 'no kill' shelter. Our next step was to lead the call for our Animal Welfare Law in Croatia to be changed. We succeeded and after that, all Croatia's shelters became 'no kill', like us.”

Dario Buzjak visits the owl he found at Zagreb Zoo

In the hours following Dario Buzjak's owl discovery, it seemed like half of Zagreb knew about his story. Photos of the owl taking a ride on Dario's Zagreb bus hit Facebook and Instagram first. The next day, TV and newspaper reporters were dispatched to Zagreb Zoo where they interviewed Dario visiting his new friend.

“Today, our social media accounts are a very important part of our communications,” says Tajana. “We dedicate quite a lot of time to them – posting photos, getting the stories and following up. But, in the end, it's totally worth it. These social media channels are the reason we have the highest rehoming rates in Croatia. We rehome over 1000 animals every year.”

Cute photos on social media. Time-consuming but effective.

You can find out more about Azil Dumovec from their website here, their Facebook here or their Instagram here

All images courtesy Azil Dumovec

October 9, 2021 - The Zagreb cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City and is included in the list of initial projects from 2021 - 2027.

The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, announced the construction of a shelter for cats during a tour of the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals. There, the City of Zagreb, in cooperation with the Zagreb Zoo and the Animal Friends Association, organized the 19th International Animal Protection Day celebration,  reports Jutarnji List.

"We plan to increase the capacity for accommodating cats in Dumovec. In order to prevent dogs from leaving, we continue to control microchipping, "said Tomasevic.

The cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City of Zagreb and is included in the list of initial projects for the financial perspective from 2021 - 2027.

With this project, the City of Zagreb would get an appropriate shelter for the accommodation of injured and sick and other neglected cats.

"At the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals, we currently have a hundred animals - 70 dogs and 30 cats. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we have received a smaller number of dogs in the Shelter, but we still find abandoned pets on the streets of Zagreb. Most of them do not have a microchip," said Damir Skok, director of the Zagreb Zoo, which includes the Shelter in Dumovec.

The employees of the Shelter are happy that some participants left with a new pet during the International Animal Protection Day celebration. The mayor also invited the people of Zagreb to adopt dogs and cats.

"Buying dogs is not necessary. There are many dogs that need to be adopted. Trust me, every dog you adopt will be loyal to you for the rest of your life. That dog becomes a member of the family," said Tomasevic.

During the International Animal Protection Day celebration, citizens were able to visit the Shelter, see how work is done on the education and socialization of dogs, and meet associations that work with animal protection. An educational and entertaining program was also prepared for children. Animal Friends organized a Vega picnic. Citizens were also encouraged to adopt by dm, who gives a gift voucher worth 50 kuna to anyone who adopts a dog or cat by the end of the year to buy food and other products from the pet range.

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