Representatives of the city and state police, specialist departments of the city and district office, hunting chambers, the prosecutor’s office and the veterinary administration discussed in Banská Bystrica on the issue of the movement of wild animals between blocks of flats in housing estates.
In the recent period, it is mainly foxes, and although they have not yet recorded any serious incident in contact with residents, the aim is to make the cooperation of all departments more efficient in their capture. TASR was informed about this on Thursday by the mayor’s spokeswoman Zdenka Marhefková. It is important to raise awareness in the area of banning targeted feeding of wild animals and alerting people to the health risks that foxes can carry.
“Diseases represent an increased danger, especially for children who have not yet developed sufficiently hygienic habits. Some diseases can cause serious damage to organs, the nervous system or vision, and in the case of rabies, it is a disease that almost always ends in death without timely treatment. The recent case, when one of the residents adopted a young fox, may represent not only the risk of the spread of parasitic diseases, but also criminal liability for the suspicion of committing the crime of poaching.” pointed out Marhefková.
The goal of the meeting was also to assess the possibility of amending the generally binding ordinance of the city in the area of feeding and domesticating wild animals. The representative of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Banská Bystrica expressed the opinion that there is no provision in the current legislation on the basis of which it would be possible to regulate or prohibit the feeding of wild animals in the aforementioned manner.
The city registers the occurrence of wild animals, especially in the parts of Uhlisko, Sásová and Fončorda, where it also records cases of their feeding. “We ask residents not to leave leftover food near container stands or other freely accessible places. They attract wild animals and create a habit for them to return to inhabited locations,” urged Peter Suchý, head of the waste management and maintenance of public spaces department of the municipality.
“The invisible danger of feeding wild animals and stray cats, as well as their movement in the inner city, are parasitic and infectious diseases transmissible between animals and humans. These include toxocarosis or echinococcosis. In direct contact with wild animals, but also with stray cats or dogs, a person is also at risk of contracting rabies, which is one of the deadly diseases.” added the Regional Veterinary and Food Administration (RVPS) of Banská Bystrica, stating that if a person is injured by a wild animal or a stray dog or cat, it is necessary to seek medical treatment immediately.
Banská Bystrica District Office, Department of Land and Forestry, based on the request of the municipality, added seven more people to the list of authorized persons for catching wild animals. Currently, 50 people are authorized to catch wild animals. In case of sighting of wild animals in the inner city, it is necessary to report it to the permanent service of the city police at number 159 or the emergency line of the Police Force at number 158.
