The Northern Sardinia Veterinary Association has responded to the TAR ruling of September 23, which lifted the ban on "feeding" stray dogs roaming freely in the industrial area of Olbia.
The issue is safety, the veterinarians write : "Our support for the mayor of Olbia's measure stems from deep concern over the ongoing public health and safety emergency in the industrial area. We respect the Administrative Court's ruling, but the health, hygiene, and safety issues in the industrial area remain. Planning, sterilization, and shared responsibility are needed."
Veterinarians, as stated in a note from the president of the Order, Andrea Sarria, point out that "the presence of packs of sedentary and unsterilized dogs in an area with a high density of vehicular and commercial traffic poses concrete and documented risks: not only for the safety of workers, operators and motorists, but for the life and health of the animals themselves, exposed daily to the danger of being hit by cars, the onset of parasitic diseases and zoonoses, and phenomena of intraspecific aggression linked to competition for resources."
Veterinarians in Northern Sardinia, as has the Regional Administrative Court (TAR), condemn "the uncontrolled abandonment of food or waste on public land. Spontaneous feeding, lacking hygiene, risks establishing dogs in dangerous areas and attracting pests, rather than promoting their proper recovery." The Order of Veterinarians is calling for an "extraordinary program of sterilizations and microchipping."
The Olbia Industrial Consortium has been addressing the issue of stray dogs for at least two years, working with the local health authority. According to rumors, the opening of the cycle path (which is practically completed, with a €5 million investment, nearly 4 kilometers long and 4 meters wide, with two cycle lanes and a pedestrian lane) is at risk until the industrial area is secured .
The presence of stray dogs is, in fact, considered a risk factor for cyclists and pedestrians.