Concerned citizens from throughout the three townships are raising their voices – and signatures – in unison in an expression of outrage over the mistreatment of animals in our area, and the lack of an adequate animal shelter facility.

More than 3.000 signatures have already been collected on petitions being circulated from Gouves to Malia demanding that the local governments take immediate action to insure animal welfare measures. Another 200 have signed up electronically on The Khronicles website at www.ko-go.gr.

The continuing plight of our animals and pets brutally resurfaced in the March edition of this newspaper when a mass killing of stray animals in Kato Gouves was reported in a page one story.

Following the publication of the story, a group of outraged Gouves residents formed The Friends of the Animals Committee. Among the original committee members are Niki Papathaki and Teresa Massey of Kokkini Hani; Peter Fijnje and Reinou Minnesma of Kato Gouves; Margarita Koutsia of Anopoli and Colin Paton and Miranda Brown of Pano Gouves.

The first action of the committee was to circulate a petition requesting the township to take immediate action in providing an animal shelter and sterilization program.

“We have over a thousand signatures already,” said Mrs. Papathaki, “and we’re getting more every day.”

Copies of the petition are available for signing at The Khronicles office, Teresa’s Laundry, Το Κύμα Ταβέρνα and DVD Internet in Kokkini Hani, The Tap in Kato Gouves, and Manos Mini Market in Pano Gouves. In addition, the committee is manning petition tables at high-traffic locations, such as Hatzis Super Market in Kokkini Hani.

In Malia, Gayner Vlastou of the Cretan Animal Welfare Group announced that more than 1.500 signatures have been affixed to a petition calling for Malia Mayor Konstantino Lagouthaki to follow the law in relation to animal welfare.

“The law, 3170/03, clearly states that strays and unwanted animals are the responsibility of the municipality,” Mrs. Vlastou said. “The town is supposed to propose an acceptable programme, such as a shelter or catch-neuter-release scheme.”

She said the mayor had originally told her that Malia did not have a stray animal problem, “but he has now agreed that his town does indeed have a problem, and so he is ‘taking action’.”

One of the things being considered is for the three townships – Gouves, Hersonissos, and Malia – to pool their available resources and join together in a tri-township shelter, which seems to be gathering support with the three mayors.

“I’m not averse to a tri-demos effort but that is a long range plan,” said Gouves Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis. “For now the best that could happen is gathering signatures, media exposure and the efforts of the people. I would certainly be open to further discussions on the subject with my two colleagues in Malia and Hersonissos.”

Hersonissos Councilman Yiorgos Papathakis said he will strenuously promote a tri-demos effort for a shelter to his mayor and fellow councilmen.

“Meanwhile, perhaps we can initiate a simple program of putting some food and water around the bins where the strays go to scrounge. That should ease the problem, at least temporarily, until a permanent solution can be established.”

The only one of the three which has not commented positively on the tri-township proposal is Malia, and Mayor Lagouthakis has been strangely quiet of the subject of cooperating with his sister townships.

“He has stated clearly in the past that he will not have a shelter, nor will Malia join with Hersonissos (or Gouves) in a joint plan,” Mrs Vlastou said. “He must see through our signatures that we care about the animals, that there is a problem and that this program may actually count in votes for him.”