“No more excuses”: the campaign against animal abandonment begins in Rome

Rome, 26 June 2024 – The communication campaign against the abandonment of pets was presented today in the gardens of Parco San Sisto with Mayor Roberto GualtieriL’Environment Councilor Sabrina Alfonsitogether with Licia Colòthe popular TV presenter who for the second consecutive year lent the face of the campaign.

Abandoning an animal is not only a cowardly act, but it is also a serious crime punishable by imprisonment until 7 years: for this reason, for those who carry out this ignoble gesture, “the excuses are over“.

Three the messages launched by the campaign:

– Abandonment: the excuses are (in)finite
– Abandonment: any excuse is no good
– If you abandon him your apology is worth up to 7 years in prison.

“For the second year – said the Mayor Gualtieri – let’s run a campaign with a strong message: abandoning an animal is one thing serious And serious, it’s not a venial, second-class sin. You go in prisonand that’s a thing cowards. All the typical excuses have no sense or value, they are neither legal nor moral mitigating factors. Thanks to Licia, who with her severe look on her posters reminds us that it is a serious thing, next to the look of the dog who shows herself for what she is, a living and defenseless being. That’s why we have one Guarantor. The number of abandonments is too high: in Italy there are 50 thousand dogs and 80 thousand cats. Now is an important time, summer arrives when the greatest number of abandonments occur. We will do everything we can to ensure that there are sanctions when acts of this magnitude are detected“.

“Abandonment – said the Councilor Alfonsi – it is a plague that our city wants to defeat and the only way is to carry out communication campaigns. It is not only a moral issue but also a crime, and running such a dark campaign, with Licia’s face condemning the apology, is the way of saying that the apology is over. What you wouldn’t do to a child shouldn’t be done to an animal. The campaigns have brought a small increase in adoptions and we hope that
this too gives results“.

“Enough with the excuses – It reaffirmed Licia Colò – Anyone who doesn’t want to understand must understand. Education must be done, with older people who have not developed this sensitivity it is difficult but making young people understand the value of an animal can be done. Last year I adopted a dog from the shelter, he improved my life like never before but at the beginning he destroyed my house. A dog is like a vitamin, but you have to understand that nothing is free“.