“Dog owners in Bolzano must submit their pets to a DNA test.” This is the decision of the provincial authority to combat the “scourge of excrement in the streets”. The story ends up in the Guardian, which dedicates an in-depth analysis to the curious battle in the province of Bolzano. “The results of the swab will be entered into a database which the police can then refer to in the search for the culprits and their owners. The evidence will be used to fine the owners between 292 and 1,048 euros”, it reads.
Out of 45 thousand dogs present in the area, only 5 thousand were analyzed. “The measure has sparked controversy, especially among dog owners who diligently clean their pets' feces and who are now forced to pay 65 euros for the test. Furthermore, there are questions about how the complex and expensive initiative will be managed, especially whether the culprits are strays or owned by tourists,” the Guardian continues. “County councilor Arnold Schuler said the database is still 'under implementation' and that additional veterinarians have been found to help carry out DNA testing.” “This way we make it easier for everyone to register their pet,” he told Rai News, reports the Guardian. “The DNA test will be mandatory from the end of March and heavy fines await owners who do not register their pets, Paolo Zambotto, director of the veterinary department of Bolzano, tells Giornale”.
“The animal rights associations – we read again in the British newspaper – had presented petitions to ask for the repeal of the law before the deadline of 31 December. 'The most interesting thing is that many people who don't have dogs have joined the petition,' he said in December on the local information site Altoadige.it Filippo Maturi, president of Assopets, the association for the protection of animal owners. 'It is an unjust law which does not solve the problem and which, above all, has enormous management costs'” .
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